Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2016 


https://archive.org/details/tailedheadhunter00trem_0 


THE  TAILED  HEAD-HUNTERS 
OF  NIGERIA 


Nigerian  Natives  with  Tails 

A Kagoro  woman  from  Tuku  Tozo  and  an  Attakka  woman.  See  p.  104. 


THE 

TAILED  HEAD-HUNTERS 
OF  NIGERIA 


AN  ACCOUNT  OF  AN  OFFICIAL’S  SEVEN  YEARS’ 
EXPERIENCES  IN  THE  NORTHERN  NIGERIAN 
PAGAN  BELT,  AND  A DESCRIPTION  OF  THE 
MANNERS,  HABITS,  AND  CUSTOMS 
OF  THE  NATIVE  TRIBES 


BY 


MAJOR  A.  J.  N.  TREMEARNE 

B. A.  (Cantab.),  F.R.G.S.,  F.R.A.I. 

Sometime  Scholar  and  Prizeman,  Christ’s  College 
Hausa  Lecturer,  and  First  Diploma  in  Anthropology,  Cambridge 

Author  of  “The  Niger  &•»  the  West  Sudan” 

“Fables  and  Fairy  Tales,”  &c. 


With  38  Illustrations  a Map 


PHILADELPHIA 

J.  B.  LIPPINCOTT  COMPANY 

LONDON  : SEELEY,  SERVICE  <5r*  CO.  LIMITED 
I912 


TO 

MY  WIFE 


PREFACE 


One  of  my  aims  in  writing  this  book  has  been  to  show  how 
much  the  uncivilised  natives  of  Northern  Nigeria  resemble  some 
other  aboriginal  races,  possibly  even  our  own  remote  ancestors, 
and,  incidentally,  to  prove  that  they  are  by  no  means  as  black  in 
many  ways  as  they  are  painted.  Having  served  in  different  parts 
of  West  Africa  for  the  greater  part  of  ten  years,  first  as  a 
Military  then  as  a Police  Officer,  and  subsequently  in  a Political 
and  a Judicial  capacity,  I have  possibly  a wider  view  of  West 
African  things  in  general  than  many  writers  on  the  country. 
The  native  is  certainly  not  the  equal  of  the  European,  but  he  is 
still  worthy  of  consideration. 

If  in  discussing  African  life  and  characteristics  I have  occa- 
sionally introduced  examples  drawn  from  other  lands,  it  has  not 
been  done  with  any  intention  of  forcing  them  into  an  artificial 
resemblance,  but  solely  for  the  sake  of  comparison,  for  a custom, 
which  at  first  may  seem  strange  to  the  average  reader,  becomes 
more  easily  intelligible  through  the  light  thus  thrown  upon  it 
from  other  sources.  I hope,  therefore,  that  the  general  observa- 
tions on  customs  and  ideas  will  be  useful  to  those  commencing  the 
“ study  of  man,”  and  that  the  notes  on  the  head-hunting  tribes, 
being  quite  new,  will  interest  even  those  who  are  more  advanced. 
A description  of  certain  subjects,  with  which  it  has  been  im- 
possible to  deal  here,  will  be  found  in  the  Journal  of  the  Royal 
Anthropological  Institute  to  be  published  shortly. 

Life  in  West  Africa  is  a medley  of  sensations.  There  are 
many  intensely  exciting  moments,  there  are  days  when  one  is 
absolutely  in  the  depths  of  despair,  but  even  at  these  times  some- 
thing may  happen,  with  the  light-hearted  natives  about  one, 
which  will  divert  one’s  thoughts  into  a totally  different  channel. 
Perhaps  when  under  fire,  the  black  soldier — as  gallant  in  many 

xi 


PREFACE 


ways  as  his  white  comrade — will  provoke  a smile  by  some  quaint 
remark  concerning  the  enemy ; or  the  cook  will  prepare  meals 
quite  unconcernedly  within  arrow  range,  singing  all  the  time  as 
if  there  were  no  danger  to  be  feared  more  serious  than  the  burning 
of  the  pudding. 

One  is  liable  after  an  absence  of  a couple  of  years  to  forget  “ the 
madding  crowd  ” of  insects,  the  annoyances  of  official  correspond- 
ence, the  irritating  revenue  returns,  the  noise,  the  dust,  and  the 
dirt,  and  to  remember  only  the  excitement  and  the  beauty  of 
West  Africa;  and  if  he  sits  down  to  write  in  this  mood  he  is 
likely  to  see  everything  tinted  couleur  de  rose.  It  is  only  by  re- 
ferring to  brief  entries  in  note  books,  and  by  being  thus  reminded 
of  the  circumstances  connected  therewith,  that  I can  recall  the 
worries  which,  though  negligible  now,  seemed  serious  enough  at 
the  time.  And,  as  I do  not  wish  to  describe  only  one  aspect,  I 
have  in  places  purposely  “ laid  a complaint, v not  on  account  of 
any  grudge  against  Northern  Nigeria,  or  its  people,  white  or 
black,  but  because  I wish  the  book  to  be  a true  and  living  picture 
of  life  in  that  country.  The  officials  of  the  Colonial  Office  and  of 
the  local  Government  have  done  splendid  work,  but  there  is  no 
need  to  expect  them  to  be  more  than  human. 

The  native  is  a humorist,  sometimes  consciously,  more  often 
unconsciously,  and  I have  usually  been  able  to  understand  his 
joke  when  with  him.  And  though,  when  sitting  in  a comfortable 
arm-chair,  the  amusing  incidents  stand  out  clearly,  while  the 
accompanying  pin-pricks  gradually  fade  into  the  dim  distance, 
it  is  safe  to  say  that  there  is  plenty  of  laughter  in  the  air  of  the 
West  Coast  for  every  one  if  he  can  only  see  it. 

A.  J.  N.  T. 


Blackheath, 
October  1911. 


Xll 


CONTENTS 


CHAP.  PAGE 

I.  Impressions  of  West  Africa  • . . .17 

II.  Arrival  ........  24 

III.  Up  Country  .......  30 

IV.  Headquarters  .......  39 

V.  A Benue  Province  ......  48 

VI.  Mohammedans  v.  Pagans  .....  61 

VII.  A Boundary  Commission  .....  75 

VIII.  The  Tailed  Head-hunters  . . 91 

IX.  “ Heads  and  Tails1’ 103 

X.  Tribute  Troubles  . . . . . .115 

XI.  Habitations  . . . . . . .131 

XII.  Some  Exciting  Arrests  . . . .144 

XIII.  Customs  and  Superstitions  . . . . .161 

XIV.  Customs  and  Superstitions  ( continued ) . .176 

XV.  Customs  and  Superstitions  (< continued ) . . 193 

XVI.  A Mutiny 211 

XVII.  Courtship,  Marriage,  Divorce,  and  Child-birth  224 

XVIII.  Food  and  Drink 241 

XIX.  Music  and  Dancing  ......  249 

XX.  A Punitive  Patrol  . . . . . .272 

XXL  Occupations 287 

XXII.  Modes  of  Travelling  .....  304 

XXIII.  Hausa  Folklore 320 

xiii 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Nigerian  Natives  with  Tails 
© 

Frontispiece 

PAGE 

The  “ Great  North  Road  ” to  Kumasi 

20 

The  River  Niger — A Sandbank 

26 

The  River  Niger — On  It  . 

. 26 

Dusky  Beauties 

32 

Yoruba  People  of  Igbaja  . 

34 

A New  Force  .... 

40 

A Distinguished  Visitor 

50 

A Filani  Chief  .... 

. 64 

Kajji  Women  of  Mersa 

. 76 

Kagoro  Women  of  Tuku  Tozo  . 

. 92 

Kajji  Chiefs  .... 

. 104 

Hairdressing  Extraordinary 

. 108 

Lip  Ornaments 

. 110 

Kajji  Youths  of  Mersa 

. 116 

A Goat-house  .... 

. 122 

A Head-hunter’s  Habitation 

. 132 

A Kajji  Compound  . 

. 136 

Yoruba  Houses 

. 138 

A Corduroy  Road 

146 

A Kajji  Granary 

. 146 

Ugly  but  Revered 

. 162 

Some  Kajji  Dandies  . 

. 178 

Ashanti  Men 

. 214 

Ashanti  Houses 

, , 

. 214 

XV 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

Beans  ...........  242 

Music  Hath  Charms  .........  250 

A Kajji  Dance  ..........  252 

A High  Stepper  .........  262 

A Ceremonial  Dance  ........  264 

Basket-making ..........  288 

Bull-baiting 297 

The  Biter  Bit  ..........  297 

Wet  Travelling  .........  306 

A Native  Canoe  . . . .316 

A Kajji  Joint-family  Residence  ......  Sl6 

Home  Industries  .........  322 

Good-bye  to  Jemaa  .........  330 


XVI 


THE  TAILED  HEAD-HUNTERS 
OF  NIGERIA 


CHAPTER  I 

IMPRESSIONS  OF  WEST  AFRICA 

I HAD  always  wanted  to  go  to  West  Africa,  and  when  given 
the  choice  to  proceed  as  a Special  Service  Officer  to  join  the 
Expedition  in  Ashanti  in  1900  instead  of  going  back  to 
South  Africa  to  join  the  Australian  Regiment,  which  was  due  to 
return  home,  I eagerly  seized  the  opportunity  of  visiting  that 
fascinating  country.  Kumasi,  or  as  it  used  to  be  spelt, 
Coomassie,  had  always  attracted  me  strongly,  and  so  had  Segu, 
though  I should  have  found  it  difficult  to  say  why  (unless  it  had 
a faint  connection  in  my  mind  with  something  to  eat),  and  I can 
remember  even  now  that  when  about  the  age  of  eight  I marked 
the  routes  on  a map. 

My  first  stay  in  West  Africa  was  not  a long  one,  but  I had 
had  a taste  of  the  country,  and  in  less  than  two  years  afterwards 
I was  back  to  the  Coast  again,  this  time  to  Northern  Nigeria, 
glad  to  feel  the  warmth  once  more,  glad  to  hear  the  cries  of  the 
natives,  and  to  watch  their  interesting  ways.  I suppose  those 
excellent  books  of  the  late  G.  A.  Henty  played  some  part  in 
arousing  within  me  the  longing  for  strange  countries,  and 
perhaps  the  attraction  of  the  Australian  bush  already  born  and 
bred  in  my  blood  had  prepared  me  for  the  call  of  the  mysterious 
African  forests.  Or  perhaps  44  spell  ” would  be  a better  name,  for 
it  is  more  than  a 44  call,”  it  is  a summons,  a command,  and  one 
which  I should  think  must  be  quite  unconquerable,  though  it  is 
rather  early  to  judge  yet  in  my  own  case,  for  I have  left  Nigeria 
too  recently,  and  have  been  studying  West  African  anthropology 
ever  since,  so  I am,  at  any  rate  in  thought,  living  to  a great  extent 

17  B 


IMPRESSIONS  OF  WEST  AFRICA 

in  West  Africa  still.  The  victim  once  fallen  must  obey  though 
it  be  against  his  better  understanding,  or  perhaps  his  inclination, 
even  against  his  will,  and,  whatever  kind  of  a wreck  the  Coast  has 
made  of  his  body,  I doubt  if  his  mind  ever  frees  itself  of  the 
charm  of  the  old  associations. 

The  bush  and  the  forest  attract  in  different  ways.  The 
Australian  bush  somehow  makes  one  feel  a tinge  of  sadness  even 
on  the  brightest  days;  there  is  often  a sigh  amidst  the  smiles; 
one  wants  to  drowse,  to  think  of  what  might  have  been,  though 
the  reminiscences  are  not  necessarily  gloomy;  whereas  the  African 
forest  makes  a man  active — difficulties  are  always  cropping  up,  and 
he  must  be  ready  for  them  and  although  one  becomes  at  times 
more  dismally  depressed  on  the  Coast  than  anywhere  else,  the 
usual  tendency  is  to  look  ahead.  This  is  strange  considering  the 
fact  that  the  Australian  bush  is  very  healthy  indeed,  at  any  rate 
where  the  gum-tree  abounds,  while  the  African  forest  is  quite  the 
reverse,  and  I think  the  sole  reason  is  that  whereas  in  the  land 
of  the  Southern  Cross  all  is  peaceful,  on  the  Coast  of  the  Dark 
Continent  danger  may  lurk  anywhere,  and  the  traveller  must  l>e 
on  the  alert  to  face  it.  To  even  the  ordinary  man,  likr  myself, 
adventure  has  a strong  fascination,  and  every  one,  however  little 
he  possesses  of  the  stuff  of  which  heroes  are  made,  hopes  to  find 
himself  in  danger  some  day,  he  wants  to  test  himself  at  some  time 
or  other.  To  thoee  mon  fortm  ate  persons  who  have  never  known 
fear — and  there  are  many  such  people,  of  course  the  unknown 
must  call  with  even  greater  force,  for  there  is  always  risk,  there  is 
always  adventure  for  him  who  looks  for  it,  and  usually  for  him 
also  who  does  not  look  for  it. 

Why  should  men  all  over  the  world  want  to  face  danger  ? why 
should  they  wish  to  undergo  hardships  when  they  might  be  so 
very  much  more  comfortable  at  home?  Some,  of  course,  go  to 
make  money,  some  to  get  out  of  a scrape  at  home,  some  because 
they  command  in  West  Africa  though  thev  serve  in  England. 
But  even  then,  what  is  the  moving  principle  which  makes  men 
listen  with  bated  breath  to  the  tales  of  danger,  to  discount  the 
hardships,  and  to  look  with  eager  eyes  on  the  hideous  mangrove 
swamps?  It  is  the  old  pagan  instinct  that  will  not  be  killed  in 

18 


IMPRESSIONS  OF  WEST  AFRICA 


spite  of  our  civilisation,  in  spite  of  our  peace  societies;  it  is  a 
pride  in  that  superiority  of  personal  strength  and  skill  which 
compels  the  homage  of  others  less  fortunately  endowed,  or  less 
willing  to  make  the  necessary  sacrifices  to  raise  themselves  above 
their  fellows ; it  is  the  old  fighting  spirit  which  has  made  the 
British  Nation  what  it  is.  The  rush  of  volunteers,  eager  for 
service,  during  the  South  African  War  must  have  been  a shock  to 
many  of  the  well-meaning  folk,  who  imagined  and,  apparently, 
still  continue  to  imagine,  that  a few  benevolent  old  gentlemen 
would  be  able  to  settle  all  the  future  quarrels  of  the  world,  and 
that  modern  weapons  were  so  terrible  that  no  nations  would  dare 
to  go  to  war.  Austria  and  Italy  did  not  hesitate  even  with  but 
slender  excuse.  W ould  the  protests  of  a few  small  boys  at  school 
prevent  two  bigger  boys  fighting?  Would  strong  men  in  a 
matter  vital  to  their  existence  or  their  honour  be  ruled  by  the 
weak  and  timorous?  Would  two  powerful  nations  roused  to 
frenzy  on  account  of  some  national  insult,  or  a country  in  the 
throes  of  civil  war,  take  the  slightest  notice  of  an  arbitration 
award  which  was  unpopular  and  appeared  unfair?  Not  until  we 
have  killed  the  old  fighting  spirit,  and  have  civilised  ourselves 
into  becoming  mere  automatons,  not  until  we  have  crushed  out  all 
that  is  good  in  us,  shall  we  consent  to  barter  our  honour  or  to 
give  up  our  rights  at  the  bidding  of  others  whom  in  our  hearts, 
perhaps,  we  really  know  to  be  our  inferiors. 

There  is  another  point ! Many  men  will  do  things  for  the 
sake  of  their  party  which  they  would  regard  almost  in  the  light  of 
crimes  if  committed  for  their  own  advantage.  Will  arbitrators 
give  an  award  which  would  damage  their  own  country  ? would 
they  not  do  more  for  their  country  than  for  their  party  ? A man 
has  been  known  to  send  his  own  brother  to  death,  but  he  would 
not  ruin  his  fatherland. 

The  political  history  of  Northern  Nigeria  has  been  a short, 
though  brilliant,  record  of  a contest  of  pluck  and  initiative  against 
hardships  and  dangers  on  the  spot,  and  against  discouragement 
from  home,  and  it  has  been  only  of  late  years  that  the  British 
Government  has  really  done  its  duty  towards  that  possession. 
I have  elsewhere  (in  The  Niger  and  the  West  Sudan ) given  an 

19 


IMPRESSIONS  OF  WEST  AFRICA 


account  of  the  river  Niger,  the  search  for  which  led  to  the  occu- 
pation of  the  present  territory  of  Northern  Nigeria,  and  I need 
not  repeat  myself,  but  a short  outline  of  the  progress  of  the 
country  itself  may  be  acceptable. 

Some  of  the  outlets  of  the  river  Niger  were  discovered  in  the 
fifteenth  century  by  the  Portuguese  and  others,  but  up  to  1830 
it  had  never  been  recognised  that  these  comparatively  small 
streams  had  any  connection  with  the  great  body  of  water  known 
to  be  flowing  past  Timbuktu  (or  Timbuctoo,  as  it  used  to  be 
spelt);  and  it  was  only  after  the  expeditions  in  1795  and  1805  of 
Mungo  Park,  the  first  white  man  to  reach  the  Niger,  and  also 
Northern  Nigeria,  that  it  was  recognised  that  the  Niger  came 
further  south  than  had  been  supposed.  The  river  was  now  thought 
to  flow  into  Lake  Chad  (the  old  idea  was  that  it  was  an  affluent 
of  the  Nile),  or  else  that  it  and  the  Congo  were  one,  and  in  1816 
two  parties  were  sent  out,  one  to  start  from  the  Senegal,  another 
from  the  Congo,  which  were  to  meet  somewhere  in  what  is  now 
Northern  Nigeria.  However,  both  parties  came  to  grief,  and  the 
next  attempt,  made  five  years  later,  was  from  Tripoli,  Major 
Denham,  Clapperton,  Oudney,  and  others  arriving  at  Lake  Chad 
more  than  twelve  months  after  their  departure  from  England, 
being  the  second  party  of  white  men  to  reach  Northern  Nigeria. 
Denham  explored  the  country  around  Bornu  while  Clapperton 
visited  Kano  and  Sokoto,  and  both  returned  safely  to  England 
in  1825,  though  they  lost  all  their  European  companions,  they 
having  fallen  victims  to  the  country. 

Clapperton  took  out  another  expedition  a couple  of  years  later, 
but  it  ended  disastrously,  and  it  was  not  until  1830  that  the  two 
Landers  (one  of  whom,  Richard,  had  been  with  Clapperton)  sailed 
in  canoes  from  Yelwa  to  the  Brass  mouth  of  the  Niger. 

The  petty  little  adventures  and  limited  wanderings  related  in 
this  book  seem  tame  indeed  compared  to  the  great  dangers  and 
magnificent  journeys  of  these  early  explorers,  yet  they  were  not 
without  their  hardships  nor  their  charm.  There  is  still  a good 
deal  of  country  in  West  Africa  as  yet  untrodden  by  white  feet, 
and  the  satisfaction  of  having  been  in  even  a small  portion  of 
“new  country”  helps  one  to  appreciate  all  the  more  the  joy 

20 


The  “Great  North  Road”  to  Kumasi 

Most  West  African  roads  are  but  a foot  or  two  in  width,  and  very  crooked,  but  this  was  widened 
and  straightened  by  order  of  the  Government.  It  is  not  easy  to  describe  the  feelings  of  the 
traveller  who  for  the  first  time  sets  foot  on  a path  which  leads  perhaps  right  into  the  heart  of  this 
wonderful  continent. 


IMPRESSIONS  OF  WEST  AFRICA 

of  these  great  men  when  success  crowned  their  efforts.  How 

O 

elated  must  Mungo  Park  have  been  to  know  that  no  white  man 
but  himself  had  ever  seen  the  Niger  P Imagine  Major  Laing’s 
feelings  of  pride  at  being  the  first  to  enter  the  city  of  Timbuktu 
which  had  such  a mysterious  and  wonderful  reputation  ! Plow 
can  one  describe  the  joy  of  the  Landers,  after  having  been  swept 
along  in  unknown  streams,  at  seeing  British  ships  at  the  mouth 
of  the  river  ahead  of  them  ? 

Alas,  these  men,  and  others  like  them,  who  added  so  much  to 
the  prestige  of  the  nation,  had  usually  but  scanty  rewards.  Park 
and  Laing  lost  their  lives  in  the  country  of  their  fame,  and  the 
Landers  had  great  difficulty  in  even  securing  a passage  to  Eng- 
land on  a British  ship  ! But  their  names  are  as  fresh  as  ever, 
and  as  long  as  there  is  an  opening  for  an  explorer,  so  long  will 
that  explorer  be  found,  and  others  to  take  his  place  should  he 
lose  his  life  in  the  attempt ; and  while  that  spirit  is  encouraged 
and  recognised  by  the  nation,  the  British  Empire  will  hold  its 
own.  There  is  plenty  of  work  to  be  done  among  us  yet ; in  addition 
to  Africa  there  are  Central  Australia,  New  Guinea,  the  frontiers 
of  India,  and  even  the  polar  regions  calling  for  explorers  and 
pioneers  : let  the  Government  enable  men  to  go  there — there  is  no 
need  to  persuade  men  to  do  so — it  will  be  well  worth  the  cost  even 
for  the  geographical  and  ethnographical  results  alone.  But  there 
would  be  a much  greater  gain,  for  the  dormant  spirit  of  adventure 
would  be  reawakened  in  every  breast,  the  old  self-reliance  of  the 
nation  would  be  re-established,  and  we  should  not  have  a night- 
mare every  time  a Continental  Power  added  a ship  to  its  fleet. 

After  the  explorers  came  the  traders,  two  ships  ascending  the 
Niger  nearly  to  Jebba  in  1832,  and  though  four  out  of  every  five 
Europeans  died,  another  and  a larger  party  went  out  a few  years 
afterwards  with  even  more  disastrous  results.  Later  ventures 
under  Baikie,  however,  were  fairly  successful,  the  use  of  quinine 
having  been  introduced,  and  no  doubt  contributing  to  the  great 
decrease  in  the  death-rate.  In  1850  another  mission  started  from 
Tripoli,  consisting  of  Richardson,  Overweg,  and  Barth,  the  latter 
being  the  only  one  to  return,  and  with  an  enormous  amount  of  infor- 
mation, after  having  visited  the  Hausa  States  and  even  Timbuktu. 

21 


IMPRESSIONS  OF  WEST  AFRICA 


Trading  companies  now  began  to  spring  up,  and  though  many 
of  the  English  firms  indulged  for  a time  in  a cut-throat  competi- 
tion, most  of  them  amalgamated  in  1879,  to  form  what  was  later 
the  National  Africa  Company,  and  later  still  (1886)  the  lloyal 
Niger  Company,  with  a charter  from  the  Crown  to  govern  what 
is  now  Northern  Nigeria. 

France  and  Germany,  who  had  been  busy  acquiring  colonies  on 
the  coast,  now’  began  to  take  a great  interest  in  West  Africa,  and 
tried  to  force  us  out  of  some  of  our  possessions  by  creating  com- 
plications amongst  the  natives  under  us,  but  our  representatives 
usually  proved  the  smarter  and  more  capable,  and  Britain  managed 
to  keep  what  she  had  got — I w onder  would  she  have  done  so  if  every 
case  had  been  submitted  to  arbitration  ? Still,  British  Ministers 
found  it  difficult  to  protect  a chartered  company  as  such  against 
the  Governments  of  foreign  nations,  and  mainly  to  prevent  fresh 
international  disagreements  the  Company's  charter  was  revoked, 
and  the  territories  were  added  to  those  of  the  Oil  Rivers  to  form 
Northern  and  Southern  Nigeria,  l^agos  being  amalgamated  with 
the  latter  six  years  later,  the  Northern  Protectorate  being  almost 
as  large  as  Great  Britain  and  France  combined.  This  put  an  end 
to  most  of  the  external  complications,  but  internal  troubles  arose 
soon  after  the  transfer,  and  there  has  l)een  an  expedition  or  a 
patrol  operating  every  few  months  ever  since,  the  most  important 
being  those  against  Yola  in  1901,  Bornu  the  following  year, 
Sokoto,  Kano,  and  Burmi  the  year  after  that,  and  Sokoto  and 
Katagum  in  1906,  while  the  Munchi  country  south  of  the  Benue, 
and  a great  part  of  the  pagan  l)elt  in  Zaria,  Bauchi,  and  Nassarawa 
has  still  to  lie  thoroughly  subdued. 

So  much  for  the  geographical  history.  The  ethnographical 
outline  of  some  of  the  tribes  has  been  touched  upon  elsewhere, 
and  that  of  a few  more  in  this  book,  but  I have  here  tried  to 
confine  myself  merely  to  some  of  the  main  points  of  the  political 
history,  and  then  only  so  far  as  our  dealings  with  the  natives  are 
concerned.  We  are  unfortunately  educating  the  natives  upon 
European  lines,  and  the  results  are  disastrous.  A Filani  chief 
who  is  proud  of  his  rank  is  a man  no  one  can  help  admiring; 
the  ex-canoe  boy  with  a smattering  of  l^atin  inspires  one  only 

22 


IMPRESSIONS  OF  WEST  AFRICA 


with  contempt.  Our  cantonments,  too,  are  built  according  to 
English  ideas,  and  we  have  spoiled  the  beauty  of  many  a spot 
noted  before  for  its  loveliness.  I suppose  West  Africa  will  some 
day  be  as  safe  as  Ireland.  A very  desirable  state  of  affairs  for 
the  Government,  perhaps,  but — heavens  ! — how  dreary  ! 

The  adventures  of  the  explorers  and  pioneers  can  be  learned 
from  their  own  writings,  and  I venture  to  state  that  there  is 
hardly  any  one  who  has  read  them  who  has  not  yearned  for 
chances  of  similar  glories.  But  apart  from  the  joy  of  entering 
new  districts,  there  is  the  mystery  and  the  fascination  of  the 
country  to  attract  a man,  and  in  a London  fog  his  thoughts  will 
turn  almost  involuntarily  to  the  feverish  yet  sunny,  luring  yet 
repulsive,  unhealthy  yet  beautiful  and  wonderful,  West  Coast 
of  Africa. 


23 


CHAPTER  II 


ARRIVAL 

I710RCAD0S  and  tiurutu,  the  ports  on  the  Niger  for  Northern 
' Nigerian  passengers,  are  dreary-looking  places,  set  on 
dismal  and  unhealthy  mud-banks  and  surrounded  by 
hideous  mangrove  swamps ; but  once  those  have  been  left  behind 
by  the  noisy  stern-paddled  river-boat,  to  which  we  have  transferred 
ourselves  and  our  baggage,  the  real  beauty  of  the  country  begins 
to  unfold  itself. 

The  time  taken  between  Ilurutu  and  Lokoja  (three  hundred 
and  thirty  miles)  depends  upon  whether  one  is  going  up  or  down 
stream,  upon  the  size  of  the  steamer,  and  the  amount  of  cargo  on 
board.  A little  over  two  days  is  enough  for  the  biggest  boats 
when  going  down,  but  I have  been  ten  days  going  up,  and  that 
was  in  the  Kapelli , which  is  supposed  to  be  the  flyer  of  the 
fleet.  We  were  towing  a couple  of  barges  loaded  with  railway 
material,  or  rather  they  were  lashed  one  on  each  side,  and  so  the 
progress  was  exceedingly  slow.  There  were  nine  of  us  on  board, 
and  there  was  some  room  to  move  about,  but  what  the  boat 
would  be  like  with  twenty,  the  official  number,  I should  not  like 
to  think,  especially  as  each  man  makes  his  own  arrangements  for 
messing,  though,  usually,  parties  of  half-a-dozen  or  so  are  formed 
for  convenience.  As  there  is  only  one  cooking-place,  the  respective 
cooks  have  to  take  turns,  and  there  are  often  some  very  fine 
quarrels  amongst  them,  and  also  amongst  the  other  boys,  who  are 
continually  stealing  each  other’s  things — or  those  of  their  masters. 
Usually,  I think,  the  native  is  fairly  honest,  but  at  times  he 
absolutely  runs  amuck,  and  the  journey  up  river  (and  a fortiori 
that  down  river)  seems  to  be  one  of  these  occasions.  When  I 
went  up  the  first  time,  in  May  1903,  shooting  was  allowed  from 
the  boat,  and  we  had  numerous  pot-shots  at  hippo  in  the  lower 

24 


ARRIVAL 


reaches,  and  at  crocs  in  the  upper,  though  I doubt  if  we  hit  many. 
One  funny  old  man  with  us  had  a pistol  with  which  he  used  to 
blaze  at  everything  showing,  and  he  managed  to  amuse  himself 
immensely — and  us  too.  But  hippo  are  not  often  seen  nowa- 
days, and  in  any  case  the  shooting,  except  from  barges,  has  been 
made  illegal,  as  there  is  much  more  traffic,  and  thus  as  time  goes 
on,  and  every  one  becomes  fearfully  respectable,  many  other  little 
amusements  will  be  prohibited,  and,  consequently,  the  country 
will  lose  one  of  its  attractions,  its  unconventionality. 

The  passenger  will  find  that  any  empty  tins  or  bottles  are 
capable  of  creating  some  amusement,  for  while  passing  the  villages 
on  the  banks — especially  those  of  the  tattoo-nosed  Ijo — numerous 
canoes  will  put  out  and  surround  the  steamer,  the  inmates,  who 
are  usually  small  girls  or  even  smaller  boys,  calling  out  lustily  for 
these  articles.  These  children  are  fine  swimmers,  and  although 
the  canoes  are  often  upset  by  the  wash  of  the  steamer,  or  by  the 
fighting  of  the  paddlers  themselves  over  the  booty,  one  knows 
there  is  no  danger,  and  that  all  will  be  as  happy  as  ever  five 
minutes  afterwards. 

When  coming  out  on  the  Elder-Dempster  boats,  a somewhat 
similar  excitement  may  be  caused  amongst  the  crowds  of  natives 
on  the  fore-hatch — who  come  aboard  all  the  way  down  from 
Freetown — by  throwing  down  pennies,  lumps  of  sugar,  or  fruit, 
and  the  people  usually  know  what  is  wanted,  and  pretend  to 
really  fight  and  quarrel  so  as  to  induce  the  onlookers  to  give 
them  more  and  more.  I do  not  think  a native  ever  objects  to  a 
quarrel,  either  real  or  imaginary,  so  long  as  there  is  a chance  of 
making  something  out  of  it.  There  is  not  always  this  inducement, 
though,  and  at  times  it  would  appear  as  if  they  indulged  in 
these  little  pleasures  merely  for  the  satisfaction  of  hearing  them- 
selves speak.  I have  sometimes  seen  two  natives  sit  down  close  to 
each  other  and  pour  out  strings  of  angry  abuse  and  bad  language 
at  the  top  of  their  voices,  and  as  fast  as  possible,  neither  taking 
the  slightest  notice  of  what  the  other  was  saying,  and  after  fiercely 
accusing  each  other  of  every  imaginable  crime  under  the  sun, 
suddenly  both  would  burst  out  laughing,  and  forget  all  that  had 
been  said — if,  indeed,  they  ever  heard  anything  except  their  own 

25 


ARRIVAL 


voices — and  be  as  good  friends  as  before.  There  is  but  little 
lasting  resentment  in  the  native’s  nature,  and  for  that  reason  our 
punishments  ought  to  be  sharp,  sudden,  and  done  with  at  once. 
I do  not  believe  in  fining,  for  the  real  punishment  is  then  felt  long 
after  the  offence  has  been  committed.  He  understands  being  caned, 
and  Sir  Sidney  Olivier,  an  experienced  Governor,  recommends 
it,  and  however  severe  we  were,  we  should  not  hurt  him  anything 
like  as  much  as  his  own  chiefs  would.  European  boys  at  school  are 
also  acquainted  with  the  rod,  and  there  are  many  old  Etonians 
who  consider  that  the  birch  was  most  beneficial  to  them ; is  a 
native  more  sensitive  than  they  were  ? It  is  the  long  drawn-out 
punishment  which  awakens  resentment ; it  is  only  human  nature 
to  dread  everlasting  trouble,  that  is  why  we  undergo  the  very  sharp 
pain  of  having  teeth  drawn  rather  than  suffer  a gnawing  ache  for 
an  indefinite  period,  however  mild  it  may  be.  But  there  is  a very 
great  difference  between  caning  and  flogging,  for  the  punishment 
can  be  sufficient  without  being  brutal,  and  a caning  need  not 
necessarily  become  a flogging,  any  more  than  a modern  school 
develops  into  an  44  Uncle  Tom’s  Cabin.” 

In  the  dry  season,  especially  in  April  and  May,  the  rivers  are 
very  low,  and  the  boats  are  often  delayed  by  running  on  sand- 
banks. The  shock  when  on  the  larger  craft  is  nothing  to  speak 
of,  but  when  a 44  swine”  (see  Chapter  XXII.)  digs  its  snout  into 
the  ground  all  one’s  precious  crockery  may  be  knocked  over, 
and — awful  thought — even  one’s  own  sacred  person  may  suffer. 
Sometimes,  particularly  when  going  down  stream,  the  boat  may 
get  so  far  on  the  bank  that  many  hours  elapse  before  she  is  floated 
again,  and  in  1903  we  nearly  lost  the  mail  steamer  at  Burutu 
through  being  thus  delayed.  Luckily  we  were  far  enough  down 
stream  to  feel  the  rise  of  the  tide,  and  with  the  flow  we  managed 
to  get  off*  and  catch  the  boat  for  home.  To  have  been  stuck  at 
Burutu  for  a week  would  have  been  anything  but  pleasant.  A 
certain  Governor  and  his  staff  managed  to  accomplish  the  feat  on 
one  occasion,  and  the  number  of  official  44  snorters  ” sent  off  during 
those  seven  days  is  said  to  be  easily  a record. 

If  the  steamer  cannot  back  herself  off,  a small  boat  is  sent 
out  with  an  anchor  which  is  fixed  in  the  bank  on  the  other 

26 


The  River  Niger— Nearing  a Sandbank 

Owing  to  the  nature  of  the  banks  and  bed,  the  river  is  continually  changing  its  channel,  and 
navigation  is  consequently  difficult. 


The  River  Niger — On  It 

The  “ Kampala  ” (now  a “ submarine  ”)  gets  stuck. 


ARRIVAL 


side  of  the  channel,  and  back-paddling  and  straining  on  the 
cable  usually  bring  the  steamer  into  deeper  water  again.  The 
channels  change  so  much  each  year,  owing  to  the  great  difference 
in  the  summer  and  winter  levels  of  the  river,  and  the  sandy 
nature  of  its  banks  and  bed,  that  it  is  impossible  to  buoy  them  to 
any  great  extent,  but  now  that  a dredger  is  working  there  should 
be  a great  improvement  in  this  direction.  By  the  way,  there  is 
a story  about  this  queer-looking  craft. 

A newly  arrived  missionary  lady  was  standing  on  deck,  watch- 
ing the  dredger  working,  and  after  a time  she  was  joined  by  a 
trader  who  had  had  many  an  argument  with  her  on  the  way  out 
about  the  laziness  of  the  natives. 

64  There,  you  can  see  for  yourself,”  said  he ; 44  look  at  those 
black  men  squatting  about  on  that  dredger;  not  one  of  them  is 
doing  a hand’s  turn.” 

44  They  must  be  tired,  poor  things,”  said  she,  and  then,  as  a 
brilliant  thought  struck  her,  she  added,  beaming,  44  you  should 
not  judge  only  by  what  you  can  see ; just  think  how  hard  the 
poor  men  underneath  must  be  working  to  be  able  to  fill  those 
buckets  so  quickly  ! ” 

She  won. 

There  is  one  employment  which  must  be  an  ideal  one  for  a 
native,  and  it  would  suit  even  an  unemployed  park-loafer.  Every 
barge  has  a headman  (from  the  permanent  establishment  of  the 
Marine  Department)  to  look  after  the  polemen,  but  not  to  help 
them.  All  he  has  to  do  is  to  sit  in  a camp  chair  and  give  orders ; 
he  usually  has  a small  boy  to  cook  his  food  and  call  him 
44 captain”  when  there  is  no  European  about,  he  has  a wife  in 
every  port  (even  a Mohammedan  is  allowed  four),  and  he  gets  a 
shilling  a day  ! How  popular  such  posts  would  be  on  the  local 
penny  tin  boats ! Alas,  white  men  never  have  any  luck  like  that, 
not  even  in  West  Africa. 

After  some  days  on  the  river  Niger,  the  boat  passes  Idda,  the 
last  town  of  Southern  Nigeria,  and  soon  afterwards  arrives  at 
Lokoja,  the  oldest  white  settlement  in  the  country  though  not 
now  the  soonest  reached,  for  Egori,  almost  opposite  Idda,  has 
that  doubtful  honour. 


27 


ARRIVAL 


I arrived  in  1903,  with  three  others,  to  raise  a police  force. 
Somehow  or  other  the  High  Commissioner’s  instructions  had 
gone  astray ; he  was  on  leave,  and  no  one  seemed  to  know 
anything  about  us,  although  we  had  already  had  three  days  at 
Idda  on  a sandbank,  so  we  were  left  for  several  hours  on  board  the 
boat  at  the  wharf,  and  we  had  plenty  of  time  to  admire  its 
beauties.  Lokoja  is  anything  but  pretty  from  the  river,  but 
from  the  top  of  Patti,  the  mountain  looming  up  behind,  it  is 
beautiful,  the  clash  of  the  brilliant  colours  being  very  barbaric 
and  splendid.  For  on  two  sides  are  the  silver  ribbons  of  the 
Niger,  and  its  affluent  the  Benue,  which  joins  it  here,  winding 
away  to  the  horizon ; opposite  are  the  blue  Okpoto  Hills, 
and  underneath  gleam  the  ruby-roofed  bungalows  set  in  the 
emerald-hued  foliage,  the  whole  making  up  a gloriously-coloured 
picture  of  the  Impressionist  school.  The  soil  here,  too,  is  wonder- 
fully fertile ; almost  anything  will  grow,  and  many  men  are  glad 
indeed  to  be  told  that  this  will  be  their  headquarters. 

But  Lokoja  is  more i beautiful  than  healthy ; the  heat  is  damp 
and  stifling,  the  river  becomes  exceedingly  unpleasant  when 
falling  and  leaving  the  banks  uncovered,  and  altogether  it  is  a 
good  place  to  be  out  of,  except  for  the  man  who  prefers  office 
work  to  travel,  who  wishes  for  comparatively  comfortable  quarters 
rather  than  excitement.  Mails  are  more  regular,  and  they  come 
more  quickly ; food  is  plentiful,  for  there  are  several  good 
canteens ; and  if  each  man  could  have  a bungalow  to  himself, 
he  would  not  have  so  much  to  complain  about.  Unfortunately, 
he  seldom  has  more  room  on  land  than  he  had  on  the  river-boat, 
four  or  even  more  men  being  sometimes  crowded  into  a three- 
roomed  wooden  bungalow ; and  as  each  European  must  have  at 
least  two  servants,  and,  in  addition,  one  extra  for  each  horse,  the 
state  of  pandemonium  which  one  has  to  endure  may  be  better 
imagined  than  described. 

I have  pointed  out  elsewhere  that  the  discomfort  and  the 
amount  of  filth  a man  eats  are  responsible  for  many  more 
deaths  and  invalidings  than  is  the  infamous  mosquito,  and 
were  it  possible  to  give  each  man  a two-roomed  brick  house 
to  himself  (something  like  those  which  are  allotted  to  black 

28 


ARRIVAL 


clerks),  and  to  encourage  him  to  bring  out  wife  or  sister  to 
look  after  it,  there  would  not  be  the  same  necessity  to  work 
out  wonderful  schemes  of  soaking  the  ground — or  himself,  I 
forget  which — in  kerosene.  Doubtless  much  can  be  done  in 
cantonments  by  following  rules  laid  down  by  the  medical 
authorities,  but  it  is  quite  impossible  to  keep  a grass-roofed 
and  windowless  mud  hut  mosquito-proof  for  very  long,  and  I 
have  yet  to  meet  the  official  who  can  afford  to  fill  up  the  holes 
in  his  compound  with  kerosene  when  it  costs  perhaps  a tin ! 
Nor  has  any  one  in  Northern  Nigeria  the  chance  to  retire  under 
mosquito  curtains  at  sundown  every  night  — the  only  time 
available  for  recreation  is  between  4 p.m.  and  7 p.m.,  and 
even  were  one  never  to  go  out  to  dinner,  he  would  often 
have  work  of  some  kind  to  do  in  the  evening.  Still,  the  local 
Government  does  its  best  for  the  officials,  and  the  medical  staff 
is  a body  composed  of  able  and  conscientious  men  (and  having 
once  been  a medical  student  myself,  I can  sympathise  with  their 
aims,  even  though  I may  think  their  recommendations  in  some 
cases  impracticable),  for  on  the  whole  the  doctors  and  nurses 
have  worked  wonders  in  West  Africa.  The  Colonial  Office,  too, 
is  quite  as  anxious  to  improve  the  conditions,  and,  after  all,  most 
who  go  to  West  Africa  expect  a certain  amount  of  discomfort 
and  hardship. 

Those  men  who  serve  in  cantonments  are  very  much  better 
off  as  regards  quarters  and  food,  but  their  expenses  are  consider- 
ably heavier  than  those  which  the  44  bush-whackers  ” have  to  bear, 
so  things  even  out  fairly  well  on  the  whole.  And  there  is  no 
doubt  that  when  a man  is  back  home  again,  his  knowledge  of  the 
interior  may  stand  him  in  good  stead  if  he  has  taken  the  trouble 
to  study,  while  those  who  have  had  experience  only  of  the  office- 
chairs  in  cantonments  cannot  be  said  to  have  any  knowledge  of 
true  West  African  conditions.  A man  can  read  reports  or  add 
up  figures  in  England,  it  is  only  the  traveller  in  little-known 
villages  who  can  enter  into  the  underlying  charm,  it  is  only  he 
who  can  get  to  know  the  real  West  Africa. 


29 


CHAPTER  III 


UP  COUNTRY 

I WAS  not  longer  than  a month  in  Lokoja,  though  I managed 
to  get  fever  twice  during  that  time,  and  I was  then  ordered 
to  the  Ilorin  Province,  a Yoruba  country  which  had  been 
conquered  by  the  Filani. 

From  Lokoja,  where  the  Benue  meets  the  Niger,  it  is  usually 
necessary  to  change  to  a smaller  boat  except  in  the  wet  season,  for 
the  volume  of  water  is  naturally  very  much  less  above  the  con- 
fluence, but  as  there  were  only  two  of  us  now  on  board  it  did  not 
matter.  It  took  some  three  days  to  reach  Mureji  where  the 
Kaduna  flows  in,  and  there  I disembarked,  as  the  rest  of  the 
journey  was  to  be  by  land.  An  old  hulk  served  as  quarters  for 
the  Marine  Superintendent  there,  and  I did  not  envy  him  his  lot, 
for  the  tin  roof  made  the  place  like  an  oven,  while  the  sandflies 
were  absolutely  awful.  His  only  exercise  consisted  in  walking  up 
and  down  a sandbank,  his  only  excitement  the  passing  up  or  down 
of  passengers  like  myself,  who  caused  him  trouble  in  that  he  had 
to  arrange  for  their  transport. 

I found  on  arrival  that  no  arrangements  had  been  made  from 
Lokoja  for  my  journey,  for  all  the  Marine  men  being  ill,  the 
department  was  run  for  the  time  by  the  Cantonment  Magistrate, 
and  he  did  not  know  much  about  it.  But  the  Superintendent  at 
Mureji,  being  a decent  sort,  lent  me  his  native  interpreter,  and  I 
went  over  to  the  other  side  to  bargain  for  carriers  and  a horse, 
and  at  last  I managed  to  complete  my  arrangements  and  get  off, 
though  not  without  trouble,  for  the  chief  (a  Mohammedan)  was 
usually  too  drunk  to  understand.  I knew  nothing  of  any  of  the 
native  languages,  my  boys  were  both  from  Southern  Nigeria  and 
were  as  ignorant  as  I,  no  interpreter  had  been  provided,  I had  no 
escort  nor  guard  of  any  kind  to  look  after  the  carriers,  and  we  had 

30 


UP  COUNTRY 


to  pass  first  through  Nupe  and  then  through  Yoruba  towns. 
The  result  was  that  I seldom  got  oft'  before  eleven  in  the  morning 
instead  of  at  daylight,  and  so  had  all  the  heat  of  the  day  to  travel 
in,  and  1 seldom  managed  to  cover  more  than  ten  miles  before 
dark,  and  about  half  the  carriers  would  run  away  each  day,  and  I 
had  to  get  others  as  best  I could.  Yet  I enjoyed  it,  for  it  was  an 
experience,  and  I used  to  ride  with  the  Hausa  Grammar  in  my 
hand,  so  that  by  the  end  of  the  fifth  day,  when  I reached  Xlorin,  I 
had  begun  to  understand  a little  here  and  there.  In  fact  by  this 
means  I learned  the  language  much  faster  than  my  boys  did,  and 
this  rather  surprised  me,  because  the  native’s  good  ear  and  memory, 
and  the  greater  necessity  for  knowing  what  to  ask  for  directly, 
usually  make  him  a great  linguist.  Probably  it  was  on  account 
of  the  fact  that  the  boys  could  converse  with  each  other  in  their 
own  language,  and  so  were  not  so  ready  to  learn  a new  one ; had 
there  been  only  one  Ijo  amongst  them  he  would  quickly  have 
mastered  the  local  tongues  in  order  to  converse  with  his  fellows, 
for  a native  must  talk  to  some  one. 

While  at  Ilorin  I saw  in  the  Government  Gazette  a notice  of 
the  Hausa  Scholarship  at  Cambridge,  and  made  up  my  mind  to 
work  for  it,  and  luckily,  I managed  afterwards  to  be  ready  just 
when  it  became  vacant — and  that  really  led  to  the  commencement 
of  my  anthropological  work.  It  is  rather  a pity  that  the  Scholar- 
ship has  been  allowed  to  lapse,  for  it  is  more  imperative  than 
ever  that  a Political  or  a Police  Officer  should  have  a knowledge 
of  the  language,  but  the  Hausa  Association  came  to  an  end, 
and  with  it  the  dP80  per  annum  at  Christ’s  College,  though 
a prize  is  to  be  given  there  every  five  years  for  an  Essay  on  West 
African  work. 

Ilorin  is  now  an  important  station  on  the  Lagos-Jebba  Railway, 
but  there  were  no  bungalows  when  I was  there,  and  we  lived  in  a 
street  of  square  mud  houses,  some  having  two,  some  three  rooms, 
with  verandahs  in  front  and  behind.  It  was  a pretty  station,  and 
was  supposed  to  be  fairly  healthy,  but  it  did  not  suit  me  at  all  as 
I had  fever  every  few  weeks,  though  perhaps  the  place  was  not 
wholly  responsible,  for  I had  never  really  got  rid  of  the  malaria 
which  I had  contracted  in  Ashanti.  The  two  kinds  were  quite 

31 


UP  COUNTRY 

different  in  my  case,  for  the  Ashanti  fever  was  like  ague  in  that  it 
made  me  shiver  violently,  my  teeth  being  almost  driven  through 
my  jaws,  and  exhaustion  coming  afterwards;  whereas  the  kind 
which  I had  in  Northern  Nigeria  (and  still  have  each  month)  made 
me  feel  tired  and  bruised  all  over  to  start  with,  and  there  were  no 
shivering  fits,  but,  on  the  contrary,  a feeling  of  being  boiled.  I 
do  not  mean  to  say  that  these  cases  are  typical,  for  there  are 
many  kinds  in  both  countries ; I merely  mention  my  own  personal 
experience. 

Work  now  commenced  in  earnest,  as  our  role  had  been  dis- 
covered at  last,  and  I began  enlisting  men  for  the  police  as  fast  as 
I could  get  them.  I had  no  stationery,  and  was  driven  to 
making  up  enlistment  and  other  forms  mainly  from  my  private 
supplies  of  notepaper,  and  I remember  my  disgust  one  morning 
when,  after  having  been  hard  at  it  all  the  previous  day,  one  of 
my  kittens  ruined  a pile  of  completed  papers,  and  the  whole  lot 
had  to  be  done  again.  By  the  way,  I forgot  to  mention  these 
kittens.  I brought  out  three  of  them  in  a large  parrot-cage,  and 
also  a fox-terrier,  and  now  and  then  on  the  march  I used  to  put 
the  dog  in  the  cage  too  when  she  got  tired.  In  addition  to  the 
kittens  and  the  dog,  there  were  often  in  the  cage  a couple  of 
fowls  for  food  during  the  day,  that  being  the  number  usually 
presented  by  the  chief  of  each  town  at  which  I halted.  At  first 
the  occupants  were  slightly  distrustful  of  each  other,  but  they 
soon  made  friends,  and  the  dog  and  the  cats  always  used  to  sleep 
together  in  my  camp  chair  afterwards.  The  fowls,  I fear,  never 
lived  long  enough  to  become  really  intimate  with  their  fellow- 
lodgers. 

I am  not  at  all  sure  that  it  is  kind  to  take  out  English  dogs. 
Certainly  it  is  not  unless  you  are  prepared  to  pay  a special  boy  to 
look  after  them.  On  my  next  trip  I brought  two,  and  the  misery 
they  were  in  when  going  up  river  made  me  determine  never  to 
bring  another.  Even  when  kept  under  mosquito  curtains  they 
are  continually  being  bitten,  a large  stinging  mangrove  fly  being 
their  particular  enemy  by  day,  and  they  seldom  have  much  spirit 
left  after  a few  months  in  country  near  a river.  But  I could 
never  understand  any  one  keeping  monkeys.  I had  a very  small 

32 


Dusky  Beauties 

At  least  their  own  men  think  them  so.  The  girl  on  the  left,  Isa,  was  from  Bornu,  the 
other  three  were  pagan  slaves  freed  from  Filani  owners  at  Ilorin.  The  broad  Hausa  hats 
worn  by  Nos.  i and  3 are  a good  protection  against  the  sun.  Three  of  these  women  are 
wearing  English  blouses  in  addition  to  their  Hausa  cloths. 


UP  COUNTRY 

one  and  also  a sloth  at  Prahsu  in  Ashanti,  but  the  monkey  was 
too  young  and  died,  and  the  other  pet  disappeared  during  a 
temporary  absence.  I found  out  afterwards  that  the  monkey  had 
been  eaten  by  my  boys,  and  no  doubt  the  sloth  also  found  a 
human  grave. 

I had  hired  a mare  at  one  of  the  towns  en  route  to  ride  to 
Ilorin,  none  of  the  horses  being  available  apparently,  and  seeing 
another  farther  on  I bought  it,  and  also  the  one  I was  riding. 
This  I soon  found  out  was  a mistake,  as  I could  never  go  out 
riding  with  any  one  else.  One  lives  and  learns  in  West  Africa. 

After  the  submission  of  Kano  and  Sokoto  in  1903,  there  was 
an  idea  that  Northern  Nigeria  had  become  so  peaceful  that  police 
could  be  substituted  for  Waffs  (as  the  West  African  Frontier 
Force  is  called),  and  as  the  civil  force  would  cost  less  than  a 
quarter  of  the  military  one  the  idea  was  gladly  (and  of  course 
rightly)  fostered  by  those  having  an  interest  in  keeping  down  the 
expenditure  of  the  country.  It  seems  strange  that  such  a mistake 
could  have  been  made,  but  it  was  made,  and  by  people  who  had 
had  much  experience  of  the  country,  and  so  firmly  fixed  had  the 
idea  become  that  when  I applied  for  money  to  build  mud  huts  for 
the  men  I was  enlisting,  I was  told  that  we  were  to  have  the 
Waffs’  barracks,  and  that  no  Government  money  was  therefore 
to  be  spent  on  new  ones  for  the  police.  It  was  in  vain  that  I 
pointed  out  that  the  Waffs  had  not  yet  left,  and  that  the  men 
I was  enlisting  could  not  live  up  trees  meanwhile.  The  reply  was 
always  to  the  same  effect,  and  in  the  end  I had  to  put  my  hand 
in  my  own  pocket  and  buy  tie-tie — native  rope  or  bark — &c.,  and 
set  the  men  at  making  grass  shelters.  This  was  in  July  1903  ; 
the  Waffs  actually  did  leave  in  1905,  if  I remember  rightly,  and 
were  recalled  a few  months  afterwards  owing  to  threatened  trouble 
with  some  of  the  surrounding  natives,  who,  as  soon  as  they  saw 
that  the  soldiers  had  gone,  commenced  playing  up.  Ilorin  was 
supposed,  and  I believe  still  is  supposed,  to  be  the  most  peaceful 
province  in  the  country ; if  it  is  impossible  to  do  without  a 
garrison  there,  it  will  be  very  many  years  before  police  can  take 
the  place  of  soldiers  elsewhere.  Later  on,  the  police  were  trans- 
formed into  constabulary  with  second-hand  carbines,  guns,  and 

33  c 


UP  COUNTRY 

Maxims,  but  they  were  reconverted  in  1907,  and  they  exist  now 
mostly  for  the  purpose  of  providing  escorts  for  Residents  and 
prisoners  (writh  rather  different  duties,  of  course),  and  for  the 
suppression  of  the  slave  trade.  They  are  useful  and  necessary, 
but  it  seems  a pity  to  confuse  the  functions  of  the  two  branches 
of  the  service,  and  if  the  police  officers  have  to  be  responsible  for 
legal  and  judicial  work,  and  must  act  as  sheriffs  in  addition  to 
performing  the  purely  police  duties,  they  will  not  have  much  time 
to  train  their  men  to  learn  what  to  do  in  time  of  war.  To  send 
untrained  men  into  action  with  unreliable  weapons  and  insufficient 
ammunition  seems  to  me  little  short  of  murder,  and  if  it  is  unfair 
to  the  Europeans  who  go  out  knowing  the  danger,  it  is  even  more 
unfair  to  the  recruits  under  them  who  have  had  no  experience, 
and  place  a blind  trust  in  their  white  leaders. 

Soon  after  my  arrival  I went  on  a little  tour  with  the  object 
of  picking  up  some  recruits,  and  on  my  return  some  eight  or  ten 
days  afterwards  with  about  a dozen  found  that  as  many  more  had 
come  in  from  other  parts,  and  so  I quickly  made  up  the  sixty  or 
so  required. 

On  tour  I passed  through  the  Yoruba  towns  of  Oke  Ode  and 
Igbaja,  at  the  former  managing  to  buy  a queer  head-dress  in  the 
shape  of  a helmet  surmounted  by  a man  riding  a horse,  all  in 
leather,  covered  with  cowrie  shells,  and  said  to  be  worn  by  priests. 
The  name  of  this  man  was  Dada,  I was  told,  and  he  drove  the  evil 
spirits  from  the  town  once  a year ; I suppose  the  object  was  a 
representation  of  some  deity,  but  I am  not  sure.  Another  interest- 
ing object  was  a wooden  figure  of  a girl  kneeling  down  with  a 
calabash  on  her  head.  This  my  informant  told  me  was  the  god- 
dess of  hunting,  though  if  so  I do  not  quite  see  why  she  should  be 
carrying  grain ; but  it  may  be  so,  for  the  Hausawa,  or  Hausas,  as 
we  call  them,  have  a similar  goddess  called  u Corn-mother.”  I 
secured  also  some  small  figures  which  were  said  to  represent  dead 
children,  the  images  being  made  to  prevent  the  surviving  brothers 
and  sisters  feeling  lonely.  Whether  this  was  done  only  in  the  case 
of  the  death  of  a twin  or  in  every  case  I do  not  know ; in  fact,  I 
understood  nothing  of  the  Yoruba  speech  and  so  little  of  the 
Hausa  tongue  at  the  time  that  the  few  particulars  I remember  of 

34 


O bo 
'O.S 


Yoruba  People  of  Igbaja 


UP  COUNTRY 


what  I was  told  about  the  above  figures  are  quite  valueless  scientifi- 
cally, though  some  readers  may  be  able  to  recognise  them  from 
the  photograph,  or  may  see  them  in  the  Cambridge  Ethnological 
Museum,  and  may  be  able  to  confirm  or  contradict  what  I have 
here  written.  I was  full  of  fever  even  then,  and  after  less  than 
four  months  in  Ilorin  was  invalided  to  England,  so  I had  no 
further  opportunity  of  inquiring  into  the  subject,  being  posted  to 
another  district  on  my  return.  This  system — or  lack  of  system — 
seems  a most  unfortunate  one,  as  just  when  a man  has  begun  to 
know  something  of  the  people  under  him  (and  that  takes  time),  he 
is  moved  off'  to  another  part  of  the  country  where  he  has  not  only 
to  begin  again,  but  usually  to  be  careful  to  forget  all  he  has 
learned  before,  lest  his  reading  of  the  ideas  of  the  new  tribe 
should  be  influenced  by  those  formed  in  the  atmosphere  of  the 
old  one.  There  may  be  certain  resemblances  if  both  the  peoples 
have  been  ruled  by  the  Filani  for  a long  time ; there  will  be  very 
few  if  the  tribes  are  still  unconquered  and  are  not  friendly  towards 
each  other. 

I found  in  October  that  I had  been  lucky  enough  to  raise  the 
first  complete  detachment  in  the  country — I usually  could  attract 
natives  to  my  service  when  once  I had  become  known — and  within 
a couple  of  months  my  little  force  was  over  strength,  and  soon 
afterwards  I was  asked  to  send  spare  men  to  other  provinces ; and 
this  happened  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  we  had  no  uniform.  Gaudy 
clothes  are,  of  course,  a great  attraction  to  natives,  and  they  are 
usually  responsible  for  the  enlistment  of  at  least  one-half  of  the 
recruits.  And  why  not  ? Although  we  smile  at  the  native  for 
this,  even  in  England  we  love  a brilliant  uniform  (think  of  our 
country  brass  bands),  and  it  is  my  opinion  that  the  falling-off  of 
recruits  for  the  army  is  due  in  a great  measure  to  the  fact  that 
kharki  is  worn  so  much.  Why  should  kharki  be  seen  in  the 
streets  ? It  is  excellent  for  work,  but  it  should  be  kept  for  those 
times  only.  An  engine-driver  does  not  pretend  to  look  clean  in 
his  oily  “ untearables  ” ; why  should  the  soldier  have  to  wear  his 
filthy  kharki,  except  when  at  work  ? A man  can  never  look  well 
in  it  except  when  it  is  absolutely  new,  and  even  then  he  looks 
hardly  more  respectable  than  the  borough  watering-cart  man,  and 

35 


UP  COUNTRY 


is  usually  outshone  by  a chauffeur,  and  even  more  by  a hotel  hall- 
porter.  The  knowledge  of  this  makes  him  ashamed  of  his  uniform, 
and  to  some  extent  the  service  it  represents  suffers  in  consequence. 
Let  him  show  off  the  red  or  the  blue  which  he  is  proud  of  wearing, 
and  he  will  indicate  the  fact  in  his  carriage  and  his  manner 
generally,  and  other  men  will  want  to  wear  it  too.  Everybody, 
white  or  black,  likes  show,  everybody  likes  glitter ; it  is  useless 
to  deny  the  fact,  it  is  human  nature.  Thousands  will  admire  a 
monarch  in  uniform,  while  a president  in  mufti  in  the  same  pro- 
cession will  pass  unnoticed,  and  those  men  who  decry  this  failing 
have  usually  a particularly  gaudy  dress  which  even  they  them- 
selves graciously  consent  to  wear  occasionally — and  are  strangely 
anxious  for  decorations  on  it  too — or  else  they  don  some  extra- 
ordinary attire  that  will  secure  their  being  noticed  at  all  times. 
Even  in  our  churches  the  apostles  are  never  depicted  in  the  clothes 
which  they  probably  wore,  but  in  most  brilliant  garments  which, 
being  but  poor  men,  they  could  not  possibly  have  afforded.  We 
like  to  have  those  we  honour  worth  looking  at,  and  the  higher 
they  are  the  better  we  expect  them  to  appear.  There  is  this 
difference  between  the  tastes  of  white  men  and  women,  namely, 
that  women  (and  native  men)  love  glitter  simply  for  the  sake  of 
the  glitter,  European  men  value  it  for  what  it  means,  though  the 
greater  the  amount  of  gold  lace  the  higher  the  rank,  usually,  at 
any  rate  in  olden  times.  Women  long  for  a diamond  necklace  or 
pendant  44  because  it  is  so  pretty  ” ; men  prize  a star  because  it 
signifies  good  service  in  some  capacity  or  other.  We  see  in  the 
streets  messenger-boys  covered  with  more  medals  than  a Crimean 
veteran,  hall-porters  wearing  field-officers’  caps  and  sleeves,  and 
tramwaymen  (in  Bournemouth  at  any  rate)  wearing  corporal’s 
rank-badges.  In  fact,  in  that  same  southern  city  the  men  who 
look  after  the  chairs  on  the  beach  are  known  as  44  authorised 
officers.”  It  is  a great  pity  to  cheapen  the  uniform  and  the  grades 
of  rank,  and  to  make  them  look  ridiculous  in  this  manner,  and  a 
Uniform  Proclamation  seems  as  badly  wanted  in  England  as  in 
Nigeria,  especially  since  medals  are  but  seldom  given  for  active 
service  in  West  Africa  nowadays. 

In  a new  country  such  as  Northern  Nigeria  one  cannot  expect 

36 


UP  COUNTRY 


too  much  in  the  way  of  organisation  ; and  though  there  were  many 
glowing  reports  about  the  substitution  of  the  police  for  the  soldiers, 
the  sums  for  the  provision  of  uniforms,  accoutrements,  &c.,  were 
not  so  easy  to  get  at.  I borrowed  some  carbines  from  the  officer 
commanding  the  Waff  Company,  and  after  a time  I even  managed 
to  get  some  military  capes  from  headquarters  (the  buttons  being, 
however,  forgotten),  and  it  was  a strange  sight  to  see  a guard  turn- 
ing out  with  great  solemnity  in  capes  (hooked  only  at  the  neck, 
and  showing  an  expanse  of  bare  black  tummy  beneath),  and  Yoruba 
caps  and  loin-cloths,  the  men  quite  believing  that  they  were  a very 
important  part  of  the  forces  of  the  Empire  ! I can  hardly  look  at 
the  photograph  now  without  smiling,  but  it  would  never  have  done 
to  have  shown  my  amusement  then,  for  they  would  have  been  hurt 
and  discouraged,  and  I do  not  think  that  I wanted  to  smile  then 
either,  for  honest  endeavour  is  always  worthy  of  respect,  and,  also, 
I was  perhaps  as  keen  as  they  were. 

The  Yoruba  has  been  given  very  different  characters  by  different 
men ; some  say  that  he  is  very  brave,  and  certainly  in  the  last 
Ashanti  Expedition  Yoruba  soldiers  did  splendidly;  others  hold 
that  he  is  not,  and  point  to  regrettable  incidents.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  the  Yoruba  is  much  cleaner  and  smarter  in  every  way 
than  the  Hausa  or  Nupe,  and  in  a company  containing,  say  fifty 
Hausas,  fifty  Nupes,  and  ten  Yorubas,  at  least  five  of  the  latter 
would  be  N.C.O.’s.  Perhaps  this  is  due  to  some  extent  to  the  fact 
that  the  Yoruba  is  a much  merrier  soul  than  the  others,  he  catches 
the  eye  sooner,  he  is  more  careful  about  his  appearance,  he  salutes 
smartly  (and  that  always  goes  a great  way  towards  promotion),  and 
he  is  a good  drill.  Whether  he  is  braver,  or  is  even  as  brave 
as  the  Hausa,  and  whether  he  is  as  good  under  continued  hard- 
ships, is  not  so  certain  ; I think  on  the  whole  the  latter  is  to  be 
preferred,  but  it  is  a strange  fact  that  the  Hausas  have  never  been 
able  to  do  much  unless  led  by  strangers  (the  Eilani,  or  us),  whereas 
most  other  tribes  have  done  well  under  their  own  commanders. 

I had  several  old  soldiers  amongst  the  police  recruits,  they 
being  usually  appointed  to  act  as  N.C.O.’s  to  instruct  their  more 
ignorant  comrades,  and  it  was  amusing  at  times  to  hear  them 
showing  off  their  knowledge  of  English,  in  which  language  the 

37 


UP  COUNTRY 

executive  words  of  command  are  always  given.  Some  of  these 
instructors  pronounced  the  usual  orders  in  very  good  English,  but 
if  explanations  were  required  afterwards,  there  was  usually  rather 
a hash.  For  instance : — 

44  Company  will  move  to  the  ri — t in  fours ; form  fours,  ri — t.” 
And  then,  if  a mistake  was  made,  44  Wass  matta,  you,  Ojo,  you  no 
sabby  um  proppa,  you  fool-man  too  much.” 

Others  had  to  give  all  the  embellishments  in  their  native 
tongue,  which  might  be  Hausa,  Nupe,  or  Yoruba,  such  as,  taking 
the  first  tongue  : — 

44  Company  will  advance — berri,  berri,  sai  na  gaya  ma-ku.  By 
the  left — Kai  Momo,  ba  ka  iya  berri  ba  ? Quick  march.  Han- 
kalli,  hankalli,  duba  hagunku.” 

But  I think  one  of  the  funniest  was  a Yoruba  corporal  whose 
little  knowledge  of  English  proved  a very  dangerous  thing  to  him, 
for  while  really  shamefully  abusing  himself,  he  quite  thought  that 
he  was  venting  his  justifiable  anger  and  contempt  upon  the  recruit. 
As  the  latter  believed  it  also,  perhaps  no  harm  was  done,  but  it 
was  difficult  to  keep  a straight  face  when  this  sort  of  thing 
went  on : — 

44  Wass  matta  me-you  no  sabby  ri — t turn  ? Me-you  no  sabby 
not’ing ; me-you  damn  fool  too  much ! ” 


38 


CHAPTER  IV 


HEADQUARTERS 

I ARRIVED  back  from  sick  leave  in  June  1904,  and  as  I had 
been  promoted  during  my  absence  to  be  Staff  Officer  of 
Police — which,  strangely  enough,  was  a rank,  not  merely  an 
appointment — I now  proceeded  to  headquarters  at  Zungeru.  The 
Police  soon  afterwards  became  Constabulary,  and  though  the  new 
name  was,  no  doubt,  an  improvement  on  the  old  one,  the  pay  and 
duties  remained  the  same,  so  there  was  no  real  advantage. 

Lokoja  was  the  first  and  the  most  natural  capital,  as  every  one 
coming  to  Northern  Nigeria  in  the  old  days  had  to  pass  through 
this  town.  But  later  on  it  was  considered  to  be  too  far  to  the 
south,  and  that  a site  nearer  the  great  Filani  Empire  of  Sokoto 
ought  to  be  chosen,  and  so  Jebba  was  fixed  upon  as  the  head- 
quarters when  the  Government  took  over  the  control  from  the 
Niger  Company  in  1900,  and  it  remained  so  for  some  three  years, 
except  during  a temporary  period  of  aberration  at  Kwendon, 
which  is  not  now  known  to  fame  except  for  the  amount  of 
cement  wasted  there.  Jebba,  however,  became  unsuitable  in  many 
respects,  especially  after  Kano  and  Bornu  had  come  under  control, 
and  Dungeru  (altered  to  Zungeru  because  Z looked  44  more 
native  ”)  was  the  next,  a small  village  in  a poor  country,  hard 
to  get  at,  and  always  short  of  food.  It  was  an  unhappy  selection, 
and  ever  since  envious  eyes  have  been  cast  on  Zaria,  an  ideal 
situation  in  my  opinion,  and  it  is  quite  possible  that  headquarters 
may  be  established  there  later. 

In  case  the  above  remarks  appear  to  be  too  severe,  let  me  add 
that  these  changes  were  not  at  all  merely  at  the  whims  and  fancies 
of  the  High  Commissioner.  Although  unsuitable  as  far  as  health 
was  concerned,  political  and  military  reasons  made  a move  to  the 
north  necessary,  and  the  High  Commissioner  could  not  possibly 

39 


HEADQUARTERS 

know  everything  about  the  country ; besides,  Jebba  was  the  old 
Waff  headquarters,  and  Sir  Frederick  Lugard  could  afford  to  make 
some  mistakes  in  his  choice  of  a capital,  for  his  administration 
otherwise  was  magnificent.  His  knowledge  of  the  details  of  every 
department  was  astonishing;  and  although  he  expected  every 
official  to  do  two  men’s  work  on  half-a-man’s  pay,  he  set  the 
example  himself  by  covering  an  amount  of  ground  that  would 
keep  six  ordinary  persons  occupied  even  in  a healthy  country. 
A very  dark,  intense-looking  man,  one  felt  that  he  knew  his 
business — and  yet,  I think,  he  was  sometimes  imposed  upon  by 
persons  who  understood  the  art  of  talking  quite  as  well  as  (or 
even  better  than)  the  art  of  working.  I suppose  every  one  has 
a weak  spot  which  can  be  found  by  an  expert,  and  no  doubt 
I have  often  been  taken  in  myself  when  least  expecting  it.  I 
remember  at  Sierra  Leone  receiving  presents  of  bananas  from 
a private  of  the  West  African  Regiment  who  was  always  on 
the  spot  asking  if  he  could  not  do  something  or  other  for  me. 
I wanted  to  pay  him  for  the  fruit,  but  he  refused  to  accept 
anything,  saying  that  I was  his  father  and  mother  and  a few 
other  people,  and  that  his  gifts  were  made  solely  on  account  of 
his  natural  love  and  affection  for  me.  I was  very  much  pleased 
to  find  a contradiction  to  the  arguments  of  some  of  the  officers 
who  (having  had  more  experience  of  the  Coast)  said  that  there 
was  no  such  thing  as  gratitude  in  the  negro’s  nature,  but  after 
a few  days  the  man  asked  me  when  he  was  going  to  get  his 
stripe,  and  I remembered  that  there  was  a vacancy  for  a lance- 
corporal.  He  did  not  get  it,  poor  fellow — such  disinterested 
concern  for  my  wants  seemed  worthy  of  a better  reward — but 
I paid  him  the  full  market  price  for  what  he  had  given  me, 
and,  strange  to  say,  my  relationship  as  father,  mother,  protector 
and  a few  other  people  seemed  before  long  to  have  entirely  faded 
from  his  mind. 

I did  not  remain  in  Zungeru  very  long,  but  went  to  Lokoja, 
and  was  soon  afterwards  appointed  to  act  as  Assistant-Commis- 
sioner; but  I paid  a visit  to  the  capital  at  Christmas  time  in 
order  to  be  examined  in  the  Lower  Standard  in  Hausa,  being 
fortunate  enough  to  be  placed  first  on  the  list.  I had  passed 

40 


A New  Force 

When  I raised  the  Police  in  Ilorin  there  were  only  four  sets  of  uniform  available,  and 
these  were  worn  by  the  N.C.O.’s.  Military  capes  (minus  the  buttons)  had  been  provided, 
however,  and  the  P.C.’s  wore  these  over  their  ordinary  native  dress. 


HEADQUARTERS 

the  army  examination  in  French  during  my  leave,  so  that  made 
two  languages  for  the  year. 

My  first  patrol  (a  miniature  one)  in  Northern  Nigeria  was  in 
March  1905,  when  I took  a small  detachment  of  constabulary  to 
the  Kukuruku  country  inland  from  Egori,  and  near  the  Southern 
Nigerian  border.  The  chief  of  a certain  town  (I  forget  the  name 
now)  had  committed  a murder  according  to  our  ideas,  and  he 
was  wanted  by  us  in  Lokoja  for  trial.  It  appeared  that  on  the 
anniversary  of  his  father’s  death  he  had  ordered  one  of  his  followers 
to  shoot  a stranger  with  a Dane-gun  (to  join  the  late  chief  in  the 
realms  of  bliss,  I suppose),  and  had  threatened  to  kill  him 
instead  if  he  did  not  do  so.  Of  course  the  wretched  follower, 
in  terror  of  his  own  life,  shot  the  honoured  guest,  and  then  the 
chief,  fearing  trouble  with  us,  seized  his  man  and  sent  him  to 
Lokoja  accused  of  the  murder.  1 sent  for  the  chief,  but  he  hid 
himself.  I again  sent  for  him,  and  the  two  police  constables 
who  took  the  message  were  fired  upon,  so  it  was  time  to  do 
something.  I therefore  took  a dozen  men  down  the  river  and 
disembarked  at  Egori,  and  a couple  of  days  later  we  attacked 
the  place,  marching  from  a town  called  Asseh  by  moonlight. 
Luckily  for  us  we  were  not  seriously  opposed,  as  after  one  shot 
from  them  they  fled  to  the  bush,  and  we  were  unable  to  pursue 
them.  We  burned  the  town,  however,  and  later  on  the  chief  was 
captured,  and  the  district  had  a much-needed  reminder  of  the 
white  man’s  suzerainty.  On  our  side  we  had  a casualty ; my  horse, 
which  soon  after  our  return  to  Lokoja  died  through  having  been 
bitten  by  tsetse-flies,  a great  curse  south  of  the  Benue,  except  in 
the  Muri  and  Yola  provinces,  where  horses  can  be  kept  alive  with 
care.  I believe  I was  the  first  European  to  keep  his  horse  at 
Amar  during  the  wet  season,  my  horse-boy  smearing  the  animal 
with  a mixture  of  tobacco,  onions,  and  grease  every  morning  and 
evening. 

At  one  of  the  towns  which  I passed  when  returning  to  Egori 
I wTas  called  upon  to  try  my  first  case  by  native  custom.  It 
appeared  that  one  of  the  parties  had  given  the  other  a goat 
to  keep  for  him,  and  that  there  had  been  a dispute  about  the 
offspring.  Both  agreed  that  in  such  cases  the  first  kid  became 

41 


HEADQUARTERS 

the  property  of  the  person  looking  after  the  goat,  and  that  the 
second  belonged  to  the  real  owner  of  the  mother,  but  whereas 
the  owner  said  that  he  was  entitled  to  the  third  also,  the  other 
man  contended  that  the  custom  in  such  circumstances  was  for 
the  people  concerned  to  take  the  kids  alternately.  I asked  the 
chiefs  of  the  respective  claimants  (parties  always  appear  with,  and 
sometimes  give  their  evidence  through,  their  chiefs)  what  the 
usage  was,  and  on  being  informed  by  both  that  the  owner  was 
in  the  wrong,  had  no  difficulty  in  giving  judgment  accordingly. 
But  cases  are  not  always  so  easily  settled,  and  European  travellers 
are  often  placed  in  positions  of  difficulty,  for  they  are  nearly 
always  called  upon  to  judge  some  case  or  other,  either  because 
the  contestants  have  no  faith  in  the  justice  of  their  chief,  or 
because  the  latter  is  afraid  of  incurring  the  hostility  of  one 
party  or  the  other  and  is  only  too  glad  to  get  out  of  his  awkward 
position,  or  again  because  the  white  man  is  regarded  by  all  as  a 
messenger  from  the  gods,  or  as  a resurrected  ancestor. 

At  Asseh,  where  I stayed  a day  and  left  my  horse  when  going 
to  the  Kukuruku  town — the  road  being  too  rough  for  him — many 
of  the  adult  women  were  stark  naked,  although  the  people  seemed 
of  quite  a good  type,  and  although  there  was  a French  mission  in 
the  town,  and  this  is  the  only  district  where  I have  noticed  this, 
adult  women  at  any  rate  wearing  some  kind  of  protection  or  other, 
even  if  it  consisted  only  of  leaves,  though  young  girls  go  quite 
naked  in  almost  every  part  of  Northern  Nigeria. 

After  the  little  trip  to  the  Kukuruku  country  I visited 
Dekina  to  inspect  the  Bassa  detachment  of  Constabulary,  and  in 
the  April  following  I was  appointed  to  act  as  Commissioner  in 
command  of  the  Constabulary,  which  consisted  of  1210  officers 
and  men. 

On  this  I again  returned  to  Zungeru,  travelling  up  the  river  in 
a “swine,'”  with  most  of  my  heavy  kit  in  a canoe  lashed  to  the  side 
— a most  unfortunate  arrangement,  as  the  waterproof  sheet  caught 
fire,  and  the  boxes  were  swamped  by  the  wash  of  the  “ swine,”  so 
that  when  I opened  them  I found  pieces  of  my  kodak,  soap,  papers, 
&c.,  floating  about  anyhow,  boots,  sword-belt,  and  other  leather 
articles  in  a beautiful  state  of  mould,  and  collars  stained  in  most 

42 


HEADQUARTERS 

brilliant  tints,  and  useless  then,  though  quite  the  height  of  fashion 
now,  perhaps. 

I rather  enjoyed  being  head  of  a department,  and  did  not  at 
all  like  relinquishing  the  command  four  months  later.  But  I do 
not  think  that  my  ideas  of  the  position  quite  equalled  the  imagina- 
tion of  the  native  clerks  who  sent  a petition  to  the  Acting  High 
Commissioner,  Mr.  (now  Sir  William)  Wallace,  asking  that  he  him- 
self should  lay  the  chief  foundation  stone  of  their  new  church,  and 
that  twelve  Heads  of  Departments  should  lay  lesser  ones.  For 
obvious  reasons  this  was  refused,  though  we  all  turned  up  in  force 
to  see  our  popular  chief  trying  to  look  serious  for  the  occasion, 
and  to  admire  the  latest  fashions  worn  by  the  coloured  gentlemen 
and  their  mammies. 

Some  little  time  before,  sports  contests  had  been  arranged 
between  Zungeru  and  Lokoja,  in  horse-racing,  shooting,  polo  and 
lawn  tennis,  and  in  the  September  the  Lokoja  teams  arrived  for  a 
week’s  amusement,  the  Zungeru  representatives  having  visited 
them  the  year  previously.  I played  in  the  lawn-tennis  match,  and 
this  was  my  only  appearance  in  these  contests,  as  I was  never  in 
headquarters  again  on  the  dates  when  they  took  place.  It  is  quite 
a good  idea,  for  a holiday  and  change  of  air  during  the  tour  does 
one  a lot  of  good,  but  unfortunately  military  officers  are  usually 
the  only  ones  who  can  take  these  little  jaunts,  most  of  the  civilians 
having  no  one  who  can  do  their  special  work  in  their  absence. 

I had  a trip  to  Kontagora  to  inspect  the  detachment  there,  and 
brought  back  a gun  which  had  been  handed  over  by  the  Waff* 
detachment.  It  was,  of  course,  very  heavy,  and  the  rivers  were 
full,  and  crossing  in  a canoe  weighed  down  to  within  half  an  inch 
of  the  gunwale  made  me  exceedingly  uncomfortable.  However, 
there  were  no  regrettable  incidents  in  connection  with  the  big  gun, 
though  there  was  a nasty  accident  with  the  small  one. 

I usually  started  my  marches  before  daybreak,  especially  if 
intending  to  do  over  a dozen  miles,  and  as  there  was  often  a 
chance  of  getting  a partridge  or  a guinea-fowl  near  one  of  the 
villages,  or  near  water  after  dawn,  my  house-boy,  Momo  Kano,  was 
given  the  double-barrelled  gun  to  carry,  with  orders  to  keep  up 
close  behind  me.  He  had  always  done  so  before,  but  one  morning 

43 


HEADQUARTERS 

when  returning  from  Kontagora  he  put  it,  loaded,  on  top  of  the 
pile  of  chairs,  catching  it  in  the  rope  so  that  it  should  not  slip  out. 
While  halted  for  breakfast  I saw  a brace  of  birds  walking  in  the 
grass  quite  close  to  where  I was  sitting,  so  I called  for  the  gun, 
and  Momo,  in  a hurry,  and  not  looking  what  he  was  doing,  caught 
it  by  the  muzzle.  Suddenly  there  was  a report,  and  something 
swished  by  me,  and  then  there  was  a yell,  and  I saw  poor  Momo 
lying  on  the  ground.  I found  that  about  one-half  of  the  charge 
had  passed  through  his  knee,  and  that  he  had  lost  part  of  the  palm 
of  one  hand,  the  hammer  having  evidently  been  caught  in  one  of 
the  ropes  binding  the  chairs  together.  It  was  a wonder  that  he 
escaped  with  his  life.  He  was,  of  course,  quite  unable  to  'walk, 
and  was  in  awful  pain,  so  I constructed  a hammock  with  a water- 
proof sheet,  and  had  him  carried  to  the  next  stage.  We  had 
still  two  days  to  travel  to  reach  Zungeru,  and  the  agony  that 
poor  boy  must  have  suffered  can  only  be  imagined  (I  could 
sympathise  with  him,  having  had  a night  and  a day  in  an  ambu- 
lance waggon  in  South  Africa,  after  a bullet  had  gone  through  my 
ankle),  and  it  was  a great  relief  to  hand  him  over  to  one  of  the 
doctors  at  the  native  hospital  on  arrival.  The  accident  was  due 
entirely  to  his  own  disobedience,  so  I had  nothing  to  blame  myself 
with,  but  no  matter  what  is  the  cause,  one  feels  just  as  sorry  when 
the  harm  is  done,  especially  when  one  cannot  do  much  to  ease 
the  pain. 

By  the  way,  a waterproof  sheet  is  one  of  the  most  useful  things 
which  one  can  take  to  West  Africa.  When  in  quarters  it  acts  as 
a carpet,  or  as  a ceiling,  or  if  the  roof  of  a hut  be  leaky,  the  sheet 
can  be  tied  on  outside.  When  travelling  in  the  rains  it  is  almost 
indispensable,  protecting  special  loads  (particularly  stationery  or 
bedding)  when  on  the  march,  or  if  large  enough,  it  may  be  con- 
verted into  a raft  or  a hammock,  and  it  is  an  excellent  adjunct  to 
a tent,  either  outside  the  fly,  on  the  ground,  or  arranged  so  as  to 
form  a verandah  in  front.  Last  of  all,  if  a trench  is  dug  (as  for  a 
raft),  the  sheet  can  be  placed  in  it  and  then  filled  with  water,  and 
a very  excellent  bath  is  the  result.  It  should  be  of  Willesden 
canvas,  and  as  large  and  strong  as  possible,  the  cost  of  the  extra 
weight  being  well  repaid  by  the  gain  in  the  utility  of  the  article. 


HEADQUARTERS 

In  the  October  following  I went  to  Zaria  to  sit  for  the  Higher 
Standard  in  Hausa,  and  I was  very  anxious  to  pass,  as  no  one  had 
up  to  that  time  been  successful.  I got  through  only  one-half, 
and  although  the  examiner  wrote  very  nice  things  to  Sir  Frederick 
about  my  industry,  this  partial  failure  proved  very  unfortunate,  as  I 
had  to  wait  over  three  years  before  being  able  to  go  to  Zaria  again 
to  complete  the  examination.  At  that  time  all  the  tests  were  con- 
ducted by  l)r.  Miller  of  the  C.M.S.,  a very  fine  Ilausa  scholar,  and 
it  was  only  by  going  to  Zaria,  where  he  was  stationed,  or  by  meet- 
ing him  when  passing  through  Zungeru,  that  candidates  could  be 
tested.  Needless  to  say,  it  was  often  impossible  for  an  official  to 
leave  his  work  for  a period  long  enough  to  enable  him  to  visit 
Zaria  (a  fortnight  from  Zungeru),  and  he  might  be  on  leave  when 
Dr.  Miller  was  passing  through  headquarters,  so  very  few  had  the 
opportunity  of  being  examined.  Now,  Hoards  composed  of  any  one 
who  has  passed,  or  even  single  individuals,  conduct  the  tests,  so 
candidates  are  more  likely  to  be  able  to  arrange,  but  whereas 
Dr.  Miller  maintained  a high  and  a uniform  standard,  there  seems 
to  have  been  a sad  falling  off  since  in  both  directions.  Still, 
examinations  ought  not  to  be  too  difficult  in  such  a country,  for 
the  long  hours  necessary  for  the  performance  of  official  duties,  the 
heat,  and  the  general  discomfort  are  not  conducive  to  extra  brain 
work,  the  “stewing’1  being  naturally  more  bodily  than  mental. 

Momo  started  off  with  me  to  Zaria,  refusing  to  be  left  behind, 
but  he  fell  on  a sharp  rock  en  route , and  I had  to  arrange  for  him 
to  stay  at  a native  village,  picking  him  up  on  my  return.  When 
I went  on  leave  I again  placed  him  in  hospital,  and  he  was  quite 
happy  this  time,  winding  and  rewinding  a cuckoo-clock,  which 
lasted  exactly  two  days,  I was  told  afterwards. 

Momo  was  not  the  only  cripple  on  the  journey,  though,  for 
I had  erysipelas  in  both  my  legs  before  leaving  Zungeru,  and 
I rather  dreaded  the  ride  to  Zaria ; in  fact  the  doctor  attending 
the  “ case  ” wanted  to  invalid  me  to  England,  and  it  was  only 
after  great  argument  that  he  consented  to  certify  me  as  fit  to  go. 
And  my  arguments  proved  to  be  correct,  for  although  I started 
off  wearing  long  Hausa  boots  of  soft  leather,  not  being  able  to 
endure  the  hard  English  articles,  within  a week  I was  quite  well, 

45 


HEADQUARTERS 

the  benefit  from  the  change  of  air  more  than  counteracting 
the  irritation  of  the  saddle  and  stirrups.  Men  stationed  in  the 
bush  have  a great  advantage  over  their  comrades  in  the  canton- 
ments, and  those  in  the  political  department  score  over  those 
in  the  secretariat,  in  that  they  have  to  do  a certain  amount  of 
touring,  and  at  one  time  this  fact  was  recognised  in  the  times  of 
service,  the  former  having  to  do  eighteen  months  in  the  country, 
the  latter  only  twelve.  There  is  still  a difference,  for  every  one 
now  has  to  serve  for  a year  actually  in  his  station,  unless  pre- 
viously invalided,  of  course,  and  so  those  who  have  to  travel 
further  do  not  begin  to  count  their  tours  of  duty  so  soon  as  those 
staying  at  Lokoja  or  Zungeru.  Still,  all  these  arrangements 
are  merely  theoretical,  for  invaliding  interferes  with  them  very 
badly  at  times,  and  I remember  that  while  I was  acting  as 
Commissioner  of  Police  we  had  four  districts  without  any  officer 
at  all,  though  one  and  a half  were  allowed  for  each  province. 

At  Zaria  I had  my  first  experience  of  a real  harmattan,  which 
lasts  from  the  end  of  October  to  the  end  of  March  (correspond- 
ing, of  course,  to  the  dry  season),  though  it  varies  very  much  in 
density.  It  is  a wind  from  the  Sahara,  and  is  in  consequence 
extremely  dry — so  dry,  in  fact,  that  men’s  lips  and  skin  crack,  and 
their  throats  and  noses  become  very  sore.  An  extremely  fine 
dust  is  usually  held  suspended  in  the  air,  which  at  times  is  almost 
motionless,  and  this  may  cause  such  a haze  ( hazo  is  the  Hausa 
name,  strangely  enough)  that  it  is  extremely  difficult  to  dis- 
tinguish objects  even  at  a hundred  yards’  distance.  The  tempera- 
ture, too,  becomes  lowered,  a great-coat  and  perhaps  also  a 
sweater  being  necessary  between  the  hours  of  5 p.m.  and  9 a.m., 
though  the  rest  of  the  day  is  hot  enough  to  suit  most  people. 
The  cold  nights  are  extremely  refreshing,  and  this  is  much  the 
best  season  of  the  year  for  travelling,  since  one  can  be  certain  of 
keeping  dry,  and  most  of  even  the  big  rivers  will  not  be  very 
formidable.  It  is  only  in  the  Sudan  that  the  real  harmattan 
is  met  with,  for  as  one  gets  nearer  to  the  sea-coast  it  is  not  so 
much  pronounced,  and  on  the  actual  coast-line  there  seems  to  be 
more  vapour  than  dust.  I enjoyed  the  Zaria  harmattan  very 
much,  a hot  day  and  a cold  night  being  the  very  height  of  bliss 

46 


HEADQUARTERS 

(as  any  one  who  has  lived  in  Australia  will  agree),  but  many  men 
dislike  it  exceedingly,  as  they — and  most  natives — suffer  more 
with  fever  and  chest  affections  at  that  time  than  at  any  other. 
A bungalow  is  quite  alarming  at  this  time,  the  rapid  change  of 
temperature  (perhaps  over  40°  in  twelve  hours)  causing  the  tin 
roofs  to  bend  in  and  out  with  loud  reports,  any  empty  kerosene 
tins  in  the  neighbourhood  joining  in  the  chorus. 

After  the  examination  I returned  to  Zungeru,  and  then  to 
England  via  Lokoja,  as  well  as  I had  ever  been  during  the  tour 
of  over  eighteen  months’  duration,  and  the  sea  air  completed  the 
cure.  With  the  return  to  civilisation  one  has  to  bind  oneself  up 
again  in  tight  collars  and  braces,  and  very  uncomfortable  they 
feel  at  first.  But  at  the  end  of  a tour  one  will  put  up  with  a good 
many  little  inconveniences  to  get  home,  for  although  West  Africa 
is  a beautiful  and  a fascinating  land,  England  is  not  such  a bad 
country  either. 


47 


CHAPTER  V 


A BENUE  PROVINCE 

I RETURNED  to  Northern  Nigeria  in  Julv  1906,  and  went 
to  Amar,  the  then  headquarters  of  the  Muri  province,  on 
the  Benue  river,  a poisonous  spot  which  has  since  been 
abandoned. 

During  my  leave  I had  put  in  two  terms  at  Christ’s  College, 
Cambridge,  under  the  Hausa  Scholarship  conditions,  and  had 
passed  the  examinations  at  Hythe  in  Musketry  (being  fortunate 
enough  to  be  placed  second  on  the  list),  at  Erith  in  the  Maxim 
gun,  at  Woolwich  in  Transport,  and  at  London  for  an  Army 
Interpreter’s  certificate  in  Hausa.  And  although  rather  pleased 
at  the  time,  I feel  now  that  it  was  a mistake  to  have  done  so 
much,  for  I had  only  some  twenty -one  days’  holiday  out  of  the 
leave  of  over  six  months  in  England,  and  I went  back  to  West 
Africa  feeling  tired  before  I had  recommenced  my  work  there. 
After  a tour  in  the  tropics  a man  wants  a thorough  rest,  not  more 
worry,  and  although  all  who  like  to  take  courses  of  instruction 
should  receive  some  advantage  afterwards  in  the  matter  of  pay 
and  promotion,  there  ought  to  be  no  compulsion  in  the  matter 
as  there  is  now,  though  the  work  I did  was  purely  voluntary. 
Unfortunately,  it  is  by  no  means  certain  that  such  courses  will 
advantage  one  in  any  way,  and  until  the  process  of  promotion  by 
selection  was  checked  some  time  ago  there  was  very  great  dissatis- 
faction. To  some  extent  the  regulations  of  the  Colonial  Office,  as 
regards  civil  officials  not  yet  confirmed  in  their  appointments,  are 
those  of  the  Star  Chamber,  for  a man  who  has  served  for  less  than 
three  years  in  West  Africa  can  be  accused,  judged,  and  punished 
without  being  able  to  sav  a word  in  his  own  defence.  It  is  only 
fair  to  state  that  such  powers  are  but  seldom  used,  but  the  powers 
are  there,  the  regulations  being  quite  clear  on  the  subject. 

48 


A BENUE  PROVINCE 

However,  to  return  to  the  Benue.  Some  six  of  us  left  Lokoja 
on  the  8th  of  August  in  a stern-wheeler,  and  a week  afterwards 
arrived  at  A mar,  or  rather,  Amara,  as  the  natives  called  it — 
though  they  could  hardly  be  expected  to  know,  of  course.  It  is 
difficult  to  conceive  why  such  a spot  was  chosen ; the  station  was 
established  on  a swamp,  there  was  no  decent  landing-place,  and 
the  native  village,  about  two  miles  off,  was  not  of  any  size.  A 
little  to  the  south  is  Ibi,  the  old  Niger  Company’s  headquarters, 
an  important  town  on  the  trade  routes,  much  more  healthy, 
accessible,  and  better  in  every  way,  yet  it  was  deliberately  aban- 
doned for  Amar,  which  has  in  turn  been  left,  Ibi  having  again 
come  into  its  own.  Somewhat  similar  errors  were  made  in  the 
sites  of  Kontagora  and  (I  am  told)  Yola,  Kano,  and  other  places, 
but  I can  only  write  for  certain  of  those  I myself  have  seen. 

However,  in  the  Year  of  Grace  1906  we  were  stationed  at 
Amar,  so  there  I went  and  had  to  stay.  There  were  two  bungalows 
in  the  station  at  that  time,  one  having  two,  the  other  three 
occupants,  and  as  the  new  Resident  was  reported  to  be  accom- 
panied by  his  wife  there  was  likely  to  be  a squash,  so  I deter- 
mined to  build  a mud  house  for  myself,  utilising  some  spare 
galvanised  iron  for  the  roof,  and  covering  it  with  grass  mats  to 
keep  it  cool  enough  to  be  bearable.  Luckily  for  me,  a bricklayer, 
trained  by  the  Public  Works  Department,  had  just  been  im- 
prisoned for  assault  or  some  such  offence,  so  he  was  put  to  the 
work  of  building  the  walls,  having  some  other  convicts  to  aid 
him,  and  on  the  arrival  of  a party  of  carpenters  from  Yola  just 
about  the  time  that  the  walls  were  finished,  the  roof  was  put  on, 
the  whole  being  completed  in  less  than  a month. 

The  new  Resident,  who  was  an  old  acquaintance — we  having 
fought  in  the  same  district  in  South  Africa,  and  having  been 
in  the  Portland  Hospital  together — arrived  in  the  October  follow- 
ing, bringing  his  wife,  the  first  white  lady  to  come  up  so  far. 
Women  are  sometimes  not  too  welcome  at  bush  stations  for 
various  considerations,  but,  as  I have  said  before,  if  every  man 
could  bring  out  wife  or  sister,  the  health  statistics  would  show 
a great  improvement,  and  it  is  hard  on  the  wives  to  be  always 
left  behind.  This  lady  quickly  made  herself  welcome,  and  not 

49  d 


A BENUE  PROVINCE 

only  were  the  signs  of  a woman’s  management  soon  evident  in 
the  arrangements  of  the  Resident’s  table,  but  she  used  to  give 
our  cooks  lessons  in  cookery — an  art  of  which,  in  spite  of  their 
positions,  they  had  been  quite  innocent  up  to  that  time. 

Early  in  the  October  following  I paid  a visit  to  Wase,  a large 
town  near  the  Bauchi  border.  It  is  mainly  notable  for  a high 
oblong  rock,  the  Dutsin  Wase , which  can  be  seen  for  miles  around, 
being  quite  detached  from  the  mountain  chain  a few  miles  to  the 
north,  and  standing  up  in  the  clear  atmosphere  like  a thick 
Cleopatra’s  Needle.  It  has  the  appearance  of  being  covered  with 
snow,  the  white  being  due  to  the  birds,  and  is  altogether  quite  a 
fine  sight.  It  is,  or  was,  of  course,  sacred,  and  all  sorts  of  evils 
were  supposed  to  befall  a man  rash  or  impious  enough  to  attempt 
to  climb  it — a feat  almost  impossible  of  accomplishment  on  three 
sides,  and  very  difficult,  though  I believe  possible,  on  the  fourth. 
It  seems  to  be  splitting  asunder,  but  not  knowing  how  many 
years  the  rent  has  been  in  developing  to  its  present  extent,  it  is 
impossible  to  say  whether  the  rock  will  eventually  come  in  two  or 
not.  Possibly  the  fear  of  the  spirits  is  inspired  by  the  troops  of 
baboons  which  inhabit  many  of  these  high  hills — Patti  in  Lokoja, 
for  instance — for  one  of  the  Assistant  Residents  then  with  me  at 
Amar  was  killed  and  thrown  down  by  these  animals  from  a some- 
what similar  mountain  in  Bauchi  country  the  following  year,  the 
reputation  of  the  locality  being,  naturally,  greatly  enhanced  since 
even  a white  man  was  powerless  against  the  Guardian  Spirits. 

At  Wase  I got  fresh  milk  and  butter,  and  they  were  very 
welcome,  being,  with  the  exception  of  the  delicacies  obtained  on 
my  visit  to  Zaria,  the  first  I had  ever  had  in  Northern  Nigeria. 
The  surrounding  country  is  park-like,  the  trees  being  low  and 
sparse,  the  land  fertile,  and  the  climate  fairly  healthy.  In  the 
vicinity  are  natural  salt  deposits,  a very  valuable  asset,  though 
the  native  trade  has,  of  course,  suffered  through  the  introduction 
of  our  more  refined  article  by  white  traders  on  the  Benue. 

The  chief  then  in  power  was  a handsome  old  man  who  had 
fought  us  and  been  beaten ; he  is,  I think,  dead  now.  It  is  the 
custom  with  Filani  for  the  chief  and  his  great  men  to  mount  and 
meet  a distinguished  stranger  (which  category,  of  course,  includes 

50 


A Distinguished  Visitor 


A BENUE  PROVINCE 


any  official)  some  distance  outside  the  town,  and  to  escort  him 
with  drumming  and  trumpeting  to  his  lodging — often  in  the 
chief s own  home,  unless  a rest-house  has  been  built  by  the 
Government.  He  then  pays  a ceremonial  visit  to  the  stranger, 
and  afterwards  sends  presents  (.sic),  and  these  are  later  on  paid 
for  by  the  recipient  in  cash  or  kind  of  equal  value,  and  the  visit 
is  returned.  On  the  visitor’s  departure,  the  chief  again  escorts 
him  on  his  journey  for  about  an  hour,  or  as  far  as  some  river  or 
his  boundary,  or  until  told  to  return.  In  addition  to  the  drum- 
mers and  trumpeters  meeting  the  stranger,  there  are  some  Masu- 
bam-maganna  (“makers  of  big  words”),  who  call  out  in  a loud 
voice  all  the  virtues,  real  or  imaginary,  of  the  stranger,  the  chief, 
and  the  counsellors — and  are  suitably  rewarded  afterwards.  Kola- 
nuts  nearly  always  form  part  of  a ceremonial  present,  a great 
number  of  them  being  brought  overland  through  Sokoto  and 
French  territory  from  Ashanti  to  the  northern  provinces,  and 
by  sea  to  the  southern  districts  and  to  Lagos,  numbers  of  the 
kola-nut  traders  being  taken  on  board  at  various  ports  along 
the  Gold  Coast. 

On  the  King’s  birthday  (November  24th  in  the  Colonies)  we 
had  u Garrison  Sports  ” at  Amar,  the  competitors  being  the 
Waffs,  the  police,  and  the  carpenters,  the  former  winning  the 
greater  number  of  the  events,  but  being  beaten  in  the  great 
“ Half-mile  Championship  ” by  a police  recruit,  Alii  Gishiri 
(Alii  “ Salt  ”),  so  called  by  me  on  account  of  his  previous  occu- 
pation, and  to  distinguish  him  from  the  numerous  other  Allis 
in  the  detachment,  who  was  quite  a good  man  though  not  par- 
ticularly intelligent.  I here  saw  the  Bull-fight  for  the  first  time, 
but  as  it  will  be  described  in  a later  chapter  I need  not  now 
make  further  mention  of  it. 

An  amusing  feature  of  these  sports  is  “ The  Mammies’  Race,” 
the  various  dusky  wives  and  maidens,  although  exceedingly 
bashful  and  coy  when  first  persuaded  to  compete,  making  no 
secret  of  their  wish  to  win  the  prize  when  once  they  have  started. 
But  let  the  officers  holding  the  tape  at  the  winning-post  beware, 
for  sometimes  one  or  two  of  the  older  ones  pretend  that  they 
cannot  stop,  and  run  into  them  on  purpose,  clasping  them  around 

51 


A BENUE  PROVINCE 


neck  or  waist,  and  wickedly  trying  to  upset  both  their  equilibrium 
and  their  dignity.  Another  44  good  turn  ” is  44  nosing  ” for  toros 
(threepenny-pieces,  sarcastically  called  elephants),  in  a pan  of 
flour,  the  black  perspiring  faces  of  the  contestants — whose  hands 
are  tied  behind  their  backs — presenting  a weird  spectacle  when 
plastered  with  white,  and  reminding  one  of  the  Bundu  girls  in 
Sierra  Leone. 

The  trouble  begins  when  the  races  are  over,  for  no  native  can 
(or  will)  see  that  only  the  winners  should  have  the  prizes.  44  As 
all  ran  all  ought  to  have  prizes  ” is  their  argument,  and  they  will 
not  be  convinced  to  the  contrary,  while  often  their  excuse  for  not 
competing  in  an  event  is  not  that  they  cannot  run  well  enough, 
but  simply  that  they  did  not  receive  anything  on  a previous 
occasion.  It  is  strange,  too,  because  competitions  for  prizes  are 
known  to  them ; had  we  introduced  the  idea  one  could  account 
for  their  not  understanding  it. 

One  of  their  contests  is  boxing  or  dambe,  in  which  both  hands 
and  feet  are  used.  One  hand  is  bandaged  round  and  round  so  as 
to  be  fairly  soft — like  a boxing  glove — the  other  being  either 
held  behind  the  back  or  used  to  ward  off*  blows.  Some  of  the 
men  are  very  clever  at  this  game,  making  a feint  with  the  fist 
and  then  landing  a foot  even  as  high  as  the  opponent's  jaw, 
either  by  swinging  the  body  to  one  side  and  bringing  the  leg 
round  at  the  same  time  as  if  falling,  or  even  by  jumping  up  in 
the  air.  It  is  very  difficult  to  get  any  adult  to  do  this  for  an 
exhibition,  as,  although  they  will  encourage  youths  to  hurt  each 
other,  they  seem  to  have  a modest  aversion  to  doing  the  same 
themselves.  And  yet  no  one  can  say  that  they  are  cowardly  in 
any  way,  for  they  love  a battle,  and  many  of  them  hunt  wild 
beasts,  and  the  bull-fighting  is  dangerous  enough  to  please  any- 
body— even  the  spectators,  for  I have  felt  extremely  uncomfort- 
able on  several  occasions  when  the  men  behind  holding  the 
leg-rope  did  not  stop  the  animal  as  soon  as  they  had  intended, 
and  the  rapid  way  in  which  the  onlookers  made  themselves 
scarce  was  quite  worth  seeing. 

At  Christmas  time  there  were  the  usual  celebrations.  A 
Britisher  always  tries  (and  usually  contrives)  to  get  his  turkey 

52 


A BENUE  PROVINCE 

and  “duff”  for  these  times,  wherever  he  may  be.  Plum-pudding 
is  slightly  rich  and  heavy  for  the  tropics,  but  no  one  could 
develop  a proper  Christmas  feeling  without  it,  so  it  always  forms 
part  of  the  menu ; and  for  the  other  courses  chop-boxes  are 
routed  out  for  something  that  will  resemble  what  we  know  our 
people  will  be  having  at  home.  Duck,  green  peas,  apple-sauce, 
potatoes,  asparagus,  &c.,  may  appear  in  the  menu,  and  these  do 
not  sound  like  roughing  it ; alas,  they  come  but  seldom  in  the 
bush,  for  the  cost  of  transport  puts  a limit  to  the  number  of 
chop-boxes  brought  up,  and,  even  when  these  delicacies  are  pro- 
curable, the  ducks  are  mostly  skin  and  bone,  the  peas  are  tinned, 
pale,  and  tasteless,  the  potatoes  are  really  yams  or  perhaps 
dessicated  chips,  the  apple-sauce  is  made  from  dried  rings  which 
have  lost  their  flavour,  the  asparagus  is  not  very  tasty,  and  the 
butter  is  rancid.  Still,  there  is  one  article  of  diet  which  one  can 
recognise,  the  onion,  and  that  plays  an  important  part  in  the 
dishes  of  the  West  African.  But  what  matters  it?  We  have 
met  to  eat,  drink,  and  be  merry,  and  we  succeed  in  all,  for  we 
cannot  afford  to  waste  any  chances  of  enjoyment.  I suppose 
out  of  every  party  of,  say,  a dozen,  one  dies  or  retires  during  the 
following  year,  and  at  least  two  others  are  invalided.  It  has 
often  been  said  that  Englishmen  take  their  pleasures  sadly — that 
is  why  we  attend  both  funerals  and  balls  in  black  perhaps ; but 
we  do  not  do  so  in  West  Africa — we  have  to  be  as  jolly  as  possible 
on  these  festive  occasions  to  make  up  for  the  fits  of  depression  at 
other  times,  and  perhaps  the  white  mess  dress  and  gaudy  kamar- 
band  help  towards  the  merriment,  for  most  of  us  are  greatly 
influenced  by  colour. 

In  the  January  of  1907  I went  out  for  a tour  to  the  south 
with  an  escort  of  twenty-five  men,  and  slept  the  night  at  Gassol. 
The  chief,  or  Yerima , of  this  place  having  been  deposed,  I posted 
a guard  on  his  house,  and  next  day  the  new  chief  was  installed, 
the  property  belonging  to  the  sarauta  (office)  being  handed  over 
to  him  on  appointment.  This  is,  of  course,  distinct  from  the 
personal  effects  of  the  chief,  and  consists  mainly  of  horses, 
equipment,  arms,  drums,  trumpets,  and  other  articles  of  a 
like  nature,  necessary  and  appropriate  to  the  chieftainship, 

53 


A BENUE  PROVINCE 

and  is  always  handed  over  to  the  successor  to  the  office,  the 
purely  personal  effects  going  to  the  family  of  the  last  holder — or 
being  taken  by  the  owner  himself  if  merely  deposed. 

After  this  had  been  done  I went  on  to  Bakunde,  a large  town 
near  the  frontier  of  the  German  colony  of  Kamerun,  and  also 
close  to  Adamawa,  sending  a message  to  the  chief  to  meet  me  in 
the  usual  manner,  with  flute,  trumpet,  drum,  and  other  instruments 
of  music  and  torture.  This,  however,  he  neglected  to  do,  though 
a few  of  the  elders  escorted  us  to  quarters  in  the  town,  and 
supplied  the  usual  presents — and  I the  usual  payment  — the 
chief  being  both  ill  in  his  house  and  away  to  the  south,  accord- 
ing to  different  accounts.  He  had  refused  to  obey  certain 
orders  of  the  Resident,  and  I had  to  try  to  persuade  him  to 
listen  to  reason,  but  as  he  feared  that  I had  come  to  arrest 
him,  he  would  not  come  near  me,  and  so  I did  not  have  a 
chance  to  exercise  my  eloquence.  Each  day  a different  story  was 
told  as  to  his  whereabouts,  and  as  I could  not  afford  to  sit  down 
doing  nothing,  I went  south  again  and  visited  some  towns  on  the 
Kamerun  boundary;  in  fact,  I got  over  it  once  by  mistake. 
There  had  been  a fight  in  which  some  casualties  occurred 
between  the  quarters  of  a town  called  Abushishi,  and  as  the 
Sa(r)rikin  Bakunde  was  headman  of  the  district  in  which  the 
town  was  situated,  and  according  to  one  account  he  had  gone 
there  to  make  the  peace,  I went  to  see  if  I could  patch  up  the 
quarrel.  I camped  in  the  quarter  of  the  people  injured,  and 
sent  a message  to  the  others  who  had  provoked  the  hostilities  to 
come  in  and  see  me,  and  this  a few  of  them  did,  appearing  to  be 
quite  friendly,  but  on  leaving  they  fired  a couple  of  shots  at  us, 
and  then  made  off  to  their  hills.  I therefore  went  at  dawn  next 
day  to  surprise  them,  but  found  that  every  one  had  bolted,  and  not 
being  able  to  do  any  more  we  burned  the  village  and  returned, 
capturing,  however,  some  fowls,  which  I awarded  to  the  people  of 
the  injured  quarter  as  compensation. 

Next  we  proceeded  along  the  boundary  to  Wanka,  a collection 
of  scattered  villages,  on  the  peaceful  though  unpleasant  errand  of 
reminding  them  that  tribute  was  due,  but  there  was  no  excitement 
here  of  any  kind,  nor  could  we  get  into  touch  with  the  people,  so 

54 


A BENUE  PROVINCE 

we  Lad  perforce  to  return,  leaving  instructions  with  friendly 
natives  on  the  way  back  to  persuade  the  Wanka  people  to 
pay  up. 

The  people  about  here  are  great  elephant  hunters,  shooting 
thick  poisoned  arrows  or  harpoons  into  the  animals  from  Dane- 
guns,  and  following  the  beasts  until  the  poison  takes  effect  and 
they  drop.  By  the  way,  where  do  they  get  Dane-guns  P The 
Niger  Company  is  allowed  to  sell  a few  under  rigid  restrictions 
(the  importation  of  firearms  into  Northern  Nigeria  being 
forbidden),  but  it  seemed  to  me  that  they  were  fairly  common, 
and  numbers  must  have  been  smuggled  over  the  frontier,  as  is  the 
case  with  liquor. 

From  there  I went  to  Suntai,  where  we  had  the  regular  but 
solitary  February  tornado,  and  thence  to  Wurrio  and  back  to 
Amar,  having  been  away  twenty-five  days,  and  having  covered 
381  miles.  In  some  parts  the  paths  were  too  stony  and  deep  for 
my  mount,  and  I had  to  walk  about  one-half  of  the  way.  I had 
a good  little  pony,  and  a cheap  one  too,  for  it  cost  me  only  £ 3 , 
and  was  a splendid  goer,  but  I could  not  train  him  to  draw  a 
cart  which  I made  from  packing-cases.  The  Taraba  and  the 
Benue  wrere  both  fordable  when  we  returned  ; in  the  latter  river 
the  water  would  have  been  only  up  to  my  ankles  when  on 
horseback  had  not  the  pony  sat  down  in  the  middle  of  the 
stream  and  so  caused  me  to  be  wetted  through,  a little 
accident  that  gave  me  nearly  a week’s  fever  after  my  return. 

There  was  not  much  excitement  in  Amar  itself.  We  used  to 
play  lawn-tennis  on  a mud  court  which  was  so  soft  that  a swift 
serve  would  raise  a cloud  of  dust  or  leave  a deep  scar,  but  the 
afternoon  game  played  between  5 and  6.30  p.m.  was  always 
looked  forward  to,  and  it  was  very  good  exercise.  In  fact,  I 
think  that  it  is  about  the  best  game  for  such  a country,  for 
it  can  be  sufficiently  strenuous  while  it  lasts,  a player  can 
always  leave  off  when  he  has  had  enough,  and  he  is  actually 
playing  all  the  time,  not  watching  or  standing  in  the  cold  as 
in  some  others,  or  walking  a mile  to  have  one  hit,  as  in  a certain 
royal  and  ancient  pastime.  Of  course,  the  preparation  of  the 
court  is  the  trouble,  and  a good  one  always  costs  money.  In  the 

55 


A BENUE  PROVINCE 


cantonments  cement  is  used,  but  this  does  not  seem  satisfactory, 
as  it  soon  cracks ; the  glare  is  very  trying,  and  the  balls,  which 
speedily  become  the  same  colour  as  the  court,  are  hard  to 
distinguish.  In  Australia,  asphalte  courts  are  the  rule,  and 
lawn -tennis  can  be  played  all  the  year  round.  In  fact,  in 
Victoria  at  any  rate,  it  is  a winter  game,  the  matches  for  the 
premiership  all  being  played  from  April  to  October.  The 
advantage  of  a hard  court  is  that  it  can  be  swept  and  dried 
directly  the  rain  has  stopped,  and  it  does  not  want  rolling  or 
cutting,  but  it  is  expensive  so  far  as  shoes  and  balls  are  concerned, 
and  hardly  as  comfortable  to  the  soles  of  the  feet  as  grass  is,  the 
ankles  also  suffering  from  the  jar. 

In  the  April  following,  I went  to  Ibi  to  arrange  for  the 
transport  of  some  convicts  coming  from  Bauchi,  but  having,  on 
behalf  of  the  Resident,  to  see  some  chiefs  with  reference  to  a 
boundary  dispute,  I went  ffrst  to  Bantaji  and  then  up  from 
there.  It  was  very  hot  on  the  day  I arrived  at  Ibi,  and  I 
hurried  over  the  last  few  miles  to  get  in  before  the  Niger 
Company’s  store  closed,  as  I had  been  looking  forward  to 
some  A<  bottled  ” — and  it  was  good  when  I got  it  at  last. 
And,  strange  to  say,  a couple  of  Waff  officers,  who  arrived 
just  afterwards,  had  the  same  opinion  ; at  least,  they  appeared 
to  have  it.  One  was  going  to  Munchi  country,  the  other,  I 
think,  to  Bauchi,  and  while  waiting  at  Ibi  I passed  him  in  the 
Hausa  Colloquial  Test  (success  in  a higher  grade  entitling  one 
to  examine  in  a lower),  thus,  I trust,  cheering  him  upon  his 
way.  After  a few  days  at  Ibi,  I returned  to  Amar,  starting 
a fortnight  later  for  Ankwoi  country. 

For  some  time  there  had  been  trouble  on  the  road  between 
Wase  and  Ibi,  the  main  trade  route  from  Bauchi  to  the  Benue, 
numerous  complaints  having  been  received  of  highway  robberies 
by  people  belonging  to  villages  just  to  the  north  of  the  road  and 
at  the  base  of  the  Moffat  Mountains,  so  the  Resident  and  I con- 
cocted a scheme  to  give  the  people  a lesson  once  and  for  all. 

These  culprits  were  a mixture  of  Langtangs,  Ankwois,  Yerg- 
hums,  and  a number  of  outcasts  and  tawaye  (rebels)  from  other 
tribes,  and  when  the  roads,  a foot  or  so  in  width,  were  bordered 

56 


A BENUE  PROVINCE 


in  the  rainy  season  by  grass  over  a dozen  feet  high,  and  wound 
in  and  out  amongst  the  rocks  and  trees,  the  robbers  had  quite  an 
ideal  time — for  robbers — being  able  to  await  their  victims  unseen, 
and  to  get  away  if  necessary  without  much  danger  of  subsequent 
pursuit. 

I therefore  sent  a party  of  police  in  plain  clothes,  and  with 
their  wives,  to  Wase  to  find  out  the  exact  locality  of  these  crimes, 
and  followed  on  a day  later  with  the  remainder  of  the  escort.  I 
then  disguised  myself  as  a Filani  chief,  and  set  out  with  a small 
party,  the  women  walking  in  front,  some  of  the  men  carrying  their 
arms  in  bundles  on  their  heads,  while  about  half  a mile  behind 
came  the  rest  of  the  force.  For  a time  there  was  no  excitement, 
but  when  we  had  gone  about  ten  miles  some  men  armed  with  bows 
and  arrows  stopped  the  women,  and  told  the  men  as  they  came  up 
to  put  down  their  loads.  This  was  what  we  had  been  waiting  for, 
and  the  police  threw  down  their  bundles,  snatched  up  their  car- 
bines, and  bolted  into  the  bush  on  each  side  of  the  road  as  if  to 
escape,  thus  surrounding  the  robbers,  and  within  a few  seconds 
we  had  bagged  the  lot.  The  women  were  again  sent  forward  as 
before,  and  after  we  had  handed  the  prisoners  over  to  the  police 
in  rear  we  started  off  once  more,  and  succeeded  in  performing  the 
trick  three  times,  capturing  over  a dozen  of  the  robbers  before  we 
reached  Donkwon,  twenty-two  miles  from  Wase,  from  which  place 
on  to  Ibi  the  road  was  safe.  It  may  appear  to  have  been  rather 
hard  on  the  defenceless  women  to  have  been  sent  ahead,  but  the 
lives  of  females  are  always  safe  in  such  circumstances,  the  robbers 
wanting  only  to  take  their  goods.  Even  in  war  women  are  seldom 
killed,  for  they  can  be  used  as  slaves  or  wives  by  their  captors, 
though  in  an  attack  on  a town  no  doubt  many  women  and  children 
lose  their  lives.  To  make  certain  that  this  will  not  happen  during 
any  of  our  patrols,  we  always  give  the  people  notice  that  we  shall 
advance  after  a definite  time  (pointing  to  where  the  sun  will  then 
be),  and  warn  them  to  get  their  non-combatants  to  a safe  place 
beforehand  if  they  mean  to  resist. 

Thence  we  went  to  Sendam,  the  Ankwoi  capital,  and  other 
places  to  receive  outstanding  tribute,  returning  to  Amar  on  the 
8th  of  June,  and  I think  that  the  lesson  taught  was  sufficient  for 


A BENUE  PROVINCE 

the  time,  for  there  had  not  been  any  more  robberies  up  to  the 
time  when  I last  heard,  though  I do  not  suppose  for  a moment 
that  there  will  never  be  any  more,  for  nothing  is  permanent  in 
West  Africa — except  the  native’s  love  of  loot,  and  the  malaria. 

The  thing  which  struck  me  most  in  the  Ankwoi  country  was 
the  absence  of  hyenas  and  vultures,  and  this  was  explained  by  the 
chief  on  the  ground  that  the  people  are  very  clean  in  their  habits. 
This  is  perhaps  true,  for  Amar  was  full  of  hyenas,  there  being 
hardly  a night  but  one  or  more  would  be  prowling  around.  I 
have  never  yet  heard  a hyena  laugh ; the  sound — or  at  any  rate 
the  commonest  one  in  West  Africa — is  more  like  a steam  syren, 
and  this  has  struck  the  natives  also,  for  they  call  the  syrens  on  the 
river  boats  kura,  i.e.  hyena.  One  old  lion  could  often  be  heard 
grunting  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  but  no  one  ever  went  to 
look  for  him,  because  it  would  have  meant  sitting  up  all  night 
and  being  eaten  alive  by  mosquitoes.  Lady  Constance  Stewart- 
llichardson  and  her  husband  got  some  of  these  animals  a month 
or  two  later,  one  of  the  party  being  badly  mauled.  Leopards  also 
are  very  plentiful,  and  wild  game — hartebeeste,  antelope,  &c. — 
can  be  seen  in  hundreds  near  Sendridi  in  the  dry  season.  I re- 
member on  return  from  Ibi  being  struck  with  Lady  Constance’s 
dress — short  blue  knickers,  bare  knees,  long  boots,  shirt,  belt,  and 
helmet — which,  except  for  the  long  hair,  was  exactly  the  same  as 
my  own ; but  it  was  a very  sensible  outfit  for  the  country,  and  a 
woman  brave  enough  to  run  the  risks  she  did  would  be  compelled 
to  dispense  with  the  conventional  attire;  that  of  a “boy  scout” 
suited  her  excellently. 

I set  several  traps  for  hyenas,  but  the  only  things  I ever 
managed  to  catch  were  a dog,  and  a carrier  who  was  not  looking 
where  he  was  going.  The  plan  of  the  trap  was  rather  good,  and 
may  be  worth  giving.  Two  concentric  circles  were  drawn  on  the 
ground  of  three  and  nine  feet  radius  respectively ; then  the  earth 
between  the  perimeters  to  the  depth  of  about  six  feet  was  dug  out, 
thus  leaving  an  island  in  the  centre  of  six  feet  diameter.  The 
hollow  ring  was  covered  over  with  sticks,  grass,  earth,  &c.,  and 
the  ground  to  a distance  of  another  twelve  feet  or  so  surrounding 
the  trap  was  disturbed  so  as  to  present  the  same  appearance,  aud 

58 


A BENUE  PROVINCE 

the  goat,  or  whatever  else  had  been  chosen,  was  placed  on  the  solid 
part  in  the  centre.  By  this  means  the  bait  was  safe  whatever 
happened,  as  if  a wild  beast  was  stalking  it,  taking  short  steps 
with  his  eye  on  his  prey,  he  would  hill  into  the  hole ; but  if  he  was 
more  cunning,  and  found  out  that  the  ground  in  front  was  not 
solid,  he  would  not  dare  to  spring  over  to  the  goat,  for  he  would 
not  know  where  the  solid  ground  commenced  again.  There  are 
other  traps,  spears  hung  from  trees,  &c.,  but  there  is  no  necessity 
to  describe  them  here  as  they  are  of  the  type  used  by  many  native 
hunters,  and  are  well  known  to  everybody. 

Amar  is  the  worst  place  I have  ever  been  in,  or  want  to  be  in, 
so  far  as  insects  are  concerned ; tsetse- flies  bit  one  all  the  day — 
they  give  a sharp  dig,  and  are  usually  off  before  one  can  hit  back — 
while  mosquitoes  were  busy  all  night ; in  fact,  even  about  2 p.m. 
in  the  wet  season  one  had  to  be  under  a mosquito-net  unless  sit- 
ting in  a strong  draught,  and  a cool,  dark  mud  house  is  a place 
they  particularly  like.  Hornets  give  a very  painful  sting,  and  their 
white,  spongy  nests  are  to  be  seen  in  most  houses,  hanging  from  the 
grass  or  tin  roof,  or  from  trees.  They  are,  however,  usually  harm- 
less unless  disturbed,  the  only  occasions  on  which  I was  bitten  being 
once  in  Jemaa  when  my  house  was  being  repaired,  and  once  on  the 
road  to  Kontagora,  when,  riding  along  reading,  I put  my  head  into 
a nest.  At  Donkwon  my  baggage  got  full  of  fleas,  and  I could 
not  get  rid  of  them,  for  they  bred  apace  in  the  mud  house,  and  at 
last  the  incessant  injections  of  poison  took  effect,  and  I began  to 
get  boils.  The  Governor  inspected  the  province  in  September,  and 
I went  back  with  him  to  Lokoja  and  Zungeru,  intending  to  pro- 
ceed to  Kano,  as  I had  been  transferred  to  the  political  department 
and  wished  to  go  to  a Hausa  Province.  However,  I was  very  bad 
by  this  time,  and  a new  order  having  arrived  from  the  Secretary 
of  State  cutting  down  the  tours  of  service  from  eighteen  to  twelve 
months,  I was  ordered  home,  having  completed  a year  and  a 
quarter.  As  I have  said,  Amar  has  now  been  deserted,  the  head- 
quarters having  been  re-established  at  Ibi,  from  which  place  they 
should  never  have  been  removed. 

Part  of  the  south-west  of  the  Muri  Province  is  occupied  by  the 
Munshi  tribe,  one  man  of  whom  I enlisted  in  the  police.  This 

59 


A BENUE  PROVINCE 


district  was  reported  to  have  been  entered  by  “ peaceful  penetra- 
tion,” while  I was  there,  but  whether  the  results  have  come  up  to 
expectations  or  not  I am  not  prepared  to  say,  as  I rather  fancy  it 
might  raise  a little  soreness  in  certain  quarters.  But  it  seemed 
rather  absurd  to  suppose  that  a strong,  warlike  tribe  would  submit 
without  any  resistance — I mean  that  it  seemed  absurd  to  me,  but 
then  I was  not  supposed  to  know — and  other  kinds  of  penetration 
have  been  employed  since. 

Amar  was  a great  place  for  proverbs,  and  when  making 
the  hyena-trap  I heard  many  appropriate  examples.  The  people 
were  a mixture,  but  all  spoke  Hausa,  whereas  near  Bakunde  the 
country-folk  hardly  understood  that  language,  though  Filani  was 
well  known.  Some  proverbs  about  the  hyena  went : 

“ If  the  owner  of  a goat  is  not  afraid  to  travel  by  night,  the 
owner  of  a hyena  certainly  will  not  be.” 

“ The  cry  of  the  hyena  and  the  loss  of  the  goat  are  one  ” ( i.e . 
they  occur  at  the  same  time). 

“ If  the  hyena  had  a charm  for  curing  smallpox,  she  would  use 
it  on  herself”  (cf.  our  “ Physician,  heal  thyself”). 

“ It  would  be  the  height  of  foolishness  for  a goat  to  hail  a 
hyena.” 

But  hyenas  are  also  very  fond  of  dogs  (although  even  a fox- 
terrier  and  some  of  the  bigger  native  pets  will  drive  one  away 
unless  caught  sleeping),  and  there  are  some  proverbs  on  this  sub- 
ject also,  such  as : 

“ The  dog  and  his  collar  are  both  the  booty  of  the  hyena.” 

“ While  the  hyena  drinks,  the  dog  can  only  look  on.” 


60 


CHAPTER  VI 


MOHAMMEDANS  v.  PAGANS 

ON  my  return  to  Northern  Nigeria  in  July  1908,  I was  posted 
to  the  Nassarawa  Province,  most  of  which  was  once  part  of 
the  Hausa  kingdom  of  Zaria,  and  at  first  I was  somewhat 
disappointed,  as  I had  been  expecting  to  go  to  Kano  to  continue 
the  study  of  Hausa.  But  in  the  end,  the  order  turned  out  to  be 
as  lucky  a one  as  I could  possibly  have  had,  for  I came  into  touch 
with  many  wild  tribes,  and  so  was  enabled  to  have  the  experience 
and  the  work  for  which  I had  been  hoping.  I had  re-entered  the 
University  of  Cambridge  during  my  leave  (this  time  as  a Research 
Student  in  Anthropology),  and  was,  therefore,  under  an  obligation 
to  write  two  theses,  one  for  the  diploma,  another  for  the  degree  in 
Arts,  and  as  no  diploma  had  then  been  awarded,  I had  the  chance 
of  obtaining  the  first  one,  and  I was  naturally  very  anxious  to  do 
so.  Again,  apart  from  selfish  motives,  the  more  one  mixes  with 
the  uncivilised  native,  the  more  one  wants  to  know  about  him,  and 
the  study  of  one’s  fellow-men  is  a fascinating  pursuit  when  once 
one  has  begun  to  look  for  meanings  and  origins.  I had  also  begun 
eating  dinners  for  a Call  to  the  Bar,  and  had  passed  a couple  of 
the  necessary  examinations,  and  it  was  not  long  before  I found  that 
this  course  also  was  very  useful,  for  soon  after  arrival  at  Jemaan 
Daroro  (the  headquarters  of  the  administrative  division  bordering 
on  the  Bauchi  and  Zaria  provinces),  I was  given  the  full  judicial 
powers  of  life  and  death — though  I am  thankful  to  say  that  I had 
to  exercise  them  to  the  full  extent  in  only  one  case. 

The  internal  history  of  Northern  Nigeria  for  a hundred  years 
prior  to  our  declaration  of  a Protectorate  was  mainly  that  of  the 
pastoral  tribe  of  the  Filani,  and  a word  or  two  on  these  people 
may  be  of  use,  though  there  is  no  need  to  write  more,  since  I have 
already  done  so  in  The  Niger  and  the  West  Sudan. 

61 


MOHAMMEDANS  v.  PAGANS 

It  is  most  probable  that  they  arose  somewhere  in  the  Central 
Sudan  as  a result  of  the  intermixture  of  Berber  and  also  some 
Arab  males  with  females  of  various  negro  tribes,  most  of  the  latter 
having  been  captured  in  war  in  all  probability ; and  the  site  was 
probably  somewhere  near  Fezzan — there  being  much  more  vegeta- 
tion then  in  the  desert  regions  than  there  is  at  present. 

Now  half-breeds  are  always  looked  down  upon,  and  as  they  in 
accordance  with  the  general  rule  adopted  the  speech  of  their 
mothers — literally  their  “ mother-tongue  ” — they  became  estranged 
from  their  fathers’  relations.  In  fact  it  is  quite  possible  that  the 
name  Peul  (red)  was  given  to  them  by  the  Berbers  in  derision  in 
the  same  way  as  Arabs  called  some  mixtures  of  tribes  Habeshi, 
and  other  peoples  Kafirs.  The  Hausas  to-day  call  us  more  often  Ja 
(red)  than  Fa(r)ri  (white).  The  Berber-negro  blood  resented  this, 
and  when  strong  enough  these  half-breeds  refused  to  occupy  a 
subservient  status  any  longer,  and,  possibly  influenced  also  by  the 
fact  that  the  climate  was  becoming  drier,  they  separated  from 
their  fathers,  and  proceeded  to  the  hinterland  of  Morocco,  where 
they  became  more  firmly  welded  together,  and  began  to  acquire 
learning,  later  on  sending  their  Mallams,  or  learned  men,  as 
missionaries  to  several  countries.  They  now  developed  a national 
spirit,  as  did  the  Boers  in  the  south  of  the  same  continent,  and 
wishing  to  hide  their  humble  origin  (for  they  called  themselves  a 
white  race)  they  naturally  disowned  all  connection  with  the  country 
they  had  left,  and  tried  to  invent  a descent  to  suit  their  new  aspira- 
tions in  much  the  same  way  as  Virgil  did  for  the  Iloinans.  They 
therefore  created  a mythical  ancestor,  as  is  commonly  done,  but 
not  being  very  certain  of  their  facts  nor  of  what  they  really 
wanted,  they  described  him  in  various  ways.  There  is  a legend 
that  the  people  sprang  from  the  marriage  of  a Hindu  and  a female 
chameleon,  evidently  invented  to  account  for  the  different  shades 
of  colour  amongst  the  people,  black,  brown,  light  yellowish-brown, 
and  even  white  being  seen.  Another  legend  gives  their  descent 
from  Arabs,  another  from  the  Hebrews. 

They  were  evidently  of  a good  though  mixed  stock,  and  they 
quickly  increased  in  numbers,  in  learning,  and  in  power,  and 
began  to  spread  out  to  the  south  and  west.  The  first  news  wre 


MOHAMMEDANS  v.  PAGANS 


hear  of  them  is  that  in  the  fourteenth  century  they  were  living 
along  the  lower  course  of  the  Senegal,  and  coming  further  south, 
though  they  are  said  to  have  records  of  their  presence  there  for 
eight  hundred  years  before  that.  They  continued  to  spread  out, 
always  seeking  fresh  pasture-lands  for  their  cattle,  and  somewhere 
about  the  fifteenth  century  they  reached  Northern  Nigeria,  but 
for  a long  time  they  had  but  little  power,  except  in  individual 
cases,  owing  to  the  fact  that  they  were  so  widely  scattered.  How- 
ever, by  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century,  they  had  greatly 
increased  in  numbers  and  influence,  and  in  1802,  after  a dispute 
with  the  pagans  of  Gober,  they  made  war  against  that  tribe,  and 
encouraged  by  their  victories  under  Othman  dan  Fodio,  they 
declared  a jehad  against  all  the  neighbouring  pagan  tribes,  and 
within  a few  years  had  conquered  most  of  the  countries  between 
Gober  in  the  north  and  the  Niger  and  Benue  rivers  to  the  south. 

Othman  soon  resigned  the  government  of  his  empire  to  his 
son,  Mohammed  Bello  (whom  Clapperton  saw  in  Sokoto),  and  his 
nephew,  Mohammed  ibn  Abdullah.  Bello’s  portion  of  the  empire 
consisted  chiefly  of  the  Hausa  States,  the  people  of  which  are 
mostly  pagans,  who  when  once  conquered,  were  quite  content  to  let 
the  Filani  look  after  the  government  so  long  as  they  could  follow 
their  favourite  pursuits  of  agriculture  and  trade  in  peace. 

The  Filani  owed  a good  deal  of  their  success  to  the  super- 
stitious dread  in  which  they  were  held,  even  the  humbler  members  of 
their  own  tribe  being  afraid  of  the  powers  ascribed  to  the  chiefs, 
and  another  cause  was  the  fact  that  they  preached  Islam  with 
fanatical  zeal,  and  so  considered  that  they  had  more  to  gain  even 
in  death  than  the  superstitious  pagans.  A third  reason  is  that 
many  of  them  fought  on  horseback,  and  in  chain  armour,  and 
these  conditions  gave  them  an  enormous  advantage  in  open  level 
country,  but  many  pagan  peoples  who  lived  in  mountainous 
country  managed  to  defy  the  Filani,  and  in  fact  some  have  not 
yet  been  brought  under  control  even  by  us.  They  have  small, 
well-formed  feet  and  hands,  frizzy  hair,  and  slim,  shapely  bodies. 
They  are  usually  good-looking,  some  of  the  women  being  really 
beautiful,  reminding  me  very  much  of  some  Samoans  whom  I 
once  saw  in  Fiji,  and  are  very  proud.  Some  of  the  women 

63 


MOHAMMEDANS  v.  PAGANS 


are  loose  before  marriage  but  strict  afterwards,  with  others  the 
opposite  is  true. 

From  their  centre  in  Sokoto  the  Filani  spread  out  in  all 
directions,  Kano  and  Zaria  being  amongst  the  principal  cities 
taken,  Keffi  and  others  in  the  Nassarawa  country  falling  later ; 
and  soon  the  surrounding  pagan  tribes  began  to  realise  that 
unless  they  could  stem  the  tide  of  conquest,  they  too  would  ere 
long  be  under  the  Filani  yoke. 

About  the  year  1800,  Usuman,  a Mallam  (learned  man  or 
priest,  and  sometimes  also  a magician  ; probably  our  word  doctor 
corresponds  most  nearly)  of  Kebbi  near  Sokoto,  obtained  leave 
from  the  Sheik,  Othman  dan  Fodio,  to  preach  the  Koran  in  the 
district  of  Zaria  amongst  the  Filani  there,  and  came  to  Kachi- 
cherri,  a pagan  country  north  of  Moroa  where  there  was  a settle- 
ment of  his  own  people.  At  that  time  the  Filani  in  that  district 
had  no  permanent  abodes,  but  lived  in  rugcis , or  collections  of 
temporary  conical  grass  shelters,  with  their  herds,  though  they 
had  established  villages  in  fertile  spots  where  their  slaves 
( rundawa ) were  allowed  to  live  and  farm  on  reaching  maturity, 
the  village  of  Dangoma  to  the  north-west  of  Jemaan  Daroro  being 
an  example.  The  mallams,  however,  being  often  persons  of 
considerable  influence  at  pagan  courts,  had  permanent  houses 
when  they  lived  in  the  towns,  and  after  the  conquest — and  perhaps 
even  before — the  more  powerful  chiefs  began  to  prefer  the  life  of 
the  city  to  that  of  the  grazing-ground,  though  that  is  certainly 
not  universal  even  now,  many  rich  chiefs  still  clinging  to  their  old 
modes  of  life,  and  refusing  to  have  anything  to  do  with  their 
brethren  of  the  towns  further  than  selling  them  milk,  butter, 
whitewash  (from  bones),  meat,  and  hides. 

The  news  of  the  outbreak  of  the  jehad  declared  by  Othman 
naturally  spread  fast,  and  on  the  capture  of  Zaria  by  Mallam 
Musa,  the  chief  of  the  Kajurawa  (in  whose  country  the  party 
of  Filani  with  Usuman  then  were)  called  all  his  sub -chiefs 
together,  and  decided  to  wipe  out  the  strangers,  fearing  that 
if  he  allowed  them  to  live  longer  in  his  country  he  himself  and 
his  people  would  be  conquered  later  by  them. 

Now,  this  chief  had  taken  a Filani  girl,  Indema,  as  a wife 

64 


The  Emir  of  Ilorin  was  a good  type  of  Filani.  This  photograph  was  taken  on  the  occasion  of.  the  presentation  by  the 
Resident  of  staves  of  office  to  four  Baloguns,  or  lesser  chiefs.  The  Emir  wore  a hat  of  white  silk  and  silver  lace  over  his  turban, 
and  was  fanned  by  four  slaves. 


MOHAMMEDANS  v.  PAGANS 


some  time  before,  and  being  very  fond  of  her,  and  apparently 
anxious  to  obtain  her  approval,  he  foolishly  told  her  of  the  plot 
the  evening  before  it  was  to  have  been  carried  into  effect. 
Naturally,  Indema  did  not  relish  the  prospect  of  having  all  her 
relatives  and  other  countrymen  killed,  and  she  began  to  wonder 
how  she  could  contrive  to  save  them.  Shortly  afterwards  she 
began  squirming  and  twisting,  and  on  the  chief  asking  her  what 
was  the  matter,  she  complained  of  internal  pains  (stomach-ache  is 
very  common  in  West  Africa),  and  said  that  she  must  have  some 
medicine  from  a man  at  Ungwal  Tagamma,  where  the  Filani 
were  then  encamped.  The  chief,  anxious  for  the  health  of  his 
loved  one,  forgot  all  about  his  little  indiscretion  in  revealing  the 
plot,  and  said  that  he  would  send  a slave  to  get  the  medicine ; 
but  Indema  said  that  she  must  go  herself — half  the  virtue  of  the 
potion  consisting  in  the  fact  that  it  must  be  drunk  immediately 
after  its  preparation,  and  in  the  mallam’s  house.  So  the  chief — 
as  blind  as  Love  and  twice  as  foolish — gave  her  a cone  of  salt 
(a  form  of  currency  in  that  district  even  to  this  day)  as  a present 
for  the  doctor,  and  sent  her  off*  with  a couple  of  slaves  as  an 
escort. 

Although  at  first  helped  along,  on  reaching  a stream  near 
Ungwal  Tagamma,  Indema  seemed  to  get  better,  and  bidding  her 
attendants  wait  at  a stream  they  came  to  while  she  bought  some 
butter,  she  went  on  alone,  and  seeking  out  Abdurahmanu,  the 
chief  of  the  Filani  there,  she  told  him  of  the  fate  which  would 
overtake  him  and  his  people  on  the  following  day  unless  they 
could  manage  to  escape.  Indema  then  returned  with  the  butter, 
and  was  evidently  much  better  again,  and  full  of  love  for  the  old 
chief  of  the  Kajurawa,  who  no  doubt  slept  the  sleep  of  the  just, 
dreaming  of  delicious  scenes  of  slaughter  to  be  enacted  on  the 
morrow,  and  feeling  secure  in  the  fidelity  of  his  beautiful  wife. 

On  Indema's  departure,  Abdurahmanu  at  once  summoned  all 
his  headmen,  and,  being  accustomed  to  travel,  they  all  got  away 
in  the  night ; so  next  morning  when  the  Kajurawa  assembled  for 
the  feast  of  blood,  they  found  only  the  very  old  and  the  very 
young  cattle,  which  were  unable  to  travel,  and  so  had  been 
abandoned.  The  pagans  followed  the  fugitives,  who  had  gone 

65  e 


MOHAMMEDANS  v.  PAGANS 

to  the  south-west,  as  far  as  the  waterfall  between  Mada(i)kia  and 
Kafianchan,  and  managed  to  kill  a few  of  the  stragglers,  but  they 
were  soon  driven  off  with  loss,  and  the  main  body  of  the  Filani 
escaped.  On  coming  gradually  south  they  expelled  the  local 
people  of  Daroro,  driving  them  towards  the  town  of  Nindam,  the 
only  one  now  possessed  by  that  tribe. 

Indema  had  not  been  able  to  fly  also — perhaps,  and  it  is  nicer 
to  think  this,  she  did  not  attempt  to  do  so,  for  had  she  not 
returned  from  Ungwal  Tagamma  her  husband’s  suspicions  would 
have  been  aroused — and  the  old  chief,  now  seeing  through  her 
treachery,  was  so  furious  that  he  had  her  thrown  into  a hole 
and  stoned  to  death.  The  story  of  Indema  moved  me  strongly 
when  I heard  it  from  a descendant  of  one  of  her  family  in  Jemaan 
Daroro,  and  I could  in  fancy  see  the  slim,  graceful  girl,  perhaps 
not  more  than  sixteen  years  of  age,  being  brutally  smashed  to 
death  for  having  saved  her  people.  Even  Joan  of  Arc  did  no 
more,  and  I pictured  them  in  my  mind  as  being  something  alike — 
a foolish  fancy,  no  doubt,  but  one  has  many  such  in  West  Africa. 
Ah,  well ! it  does  not  do  to  dwell  on  these  things;  the  deed  was 
done  a long  time  ago — and  it  is  a cruel  country ! 

The  tribes  to  the  east  at  that  time  were  not  hostile,  for  the 
Filani  wanted  the  level  country  and  not  the  mountainous  part  in 
which  the  tailed  people  lived,  and  they  had  not  yet  commenced 
the  slave-raiding  which  made  them  such  a curse  afterwards  all 
over  Northern  Nigeria.  At  first  the  fugitives  camped  near 
Dangoma,  but  about  a year  afterwards  they  descended  the  plateau 
and  settled  on  the  present  site  of  Jemaan  Daroro,  the  people 
gradually  spreading  over  the  ground  now  occupied  by  the  town. 

While  living  in  the  Kachicherri  country,  levies  of  stock  had 
been  made  by  the  Kajurawa  on  special  occasions  : eg.  if  the  chiefs 
wife  gave  birth  to  an  infant,  one  hundred  cattle  were  demanded ; 
if  the  chiefs  son’s  wife  had  a child,  twelve  head  had  to  be 
delivered,  and  any  of  the  lesser  chiefs  on  similar  occasions  took 
ten,  but  no  regular  tribute  had  been  paid.  On  arrival  at  the 
new  settlement  these  payments  were,  of  course,  discontinued,  and 
the  loss  of  these  very  acceptable  presents  made  the  Kajurawa 
all  the  more  anxious  to  get  the  fugitives  in  their  power  again. 

66 


MOHAMMEDANS  v.  PAGANS 


For  some  years  they  were  continually  attacking  the  settlement, 
and  at  first  it  was  all  the  Filani  could  do  to  hold  them  in  check ; 
in  fact,  on  one  occasion  the  pagans  actually  rode  through  the 
town,  only  to  be  driven  out  again.  However,  about  the  year 
1808,  after  a great  fight  lasting  some  seven  days,  the  Kajurawa 
were  at  length  decisively  defeated  and  pursued,  those  who  escaped 
returning  to  Zaria  country  only  to  be  conquered  later  on  by 
Mallam  Musa,  who  gradually  brought  most  of  what  is  now 
the  province  of  Zaria  under  his  control.  Similar  conquests 
were  taking  place  elsewhere,  as  has  been  said,  and  later  on 
Bauchi,  Adamawa,  and  other  districts  came  under  the  Filani 
rule. 

About  two  years  after  the  final  defeat  of  the  Kajurawa, 
Mallam  Usuman  was  sent  to  Mallam  Musa — who  had  conquered 
Zaria,  and  had  become  its  chief — to  obtain  a flag  and  a name 
for  the  new  settlement,  that  being  the  procedure  for  the  official 
recognition  of  a town,  and  when  Mallam  Musa  asked  where  they 
had  come  from,  Usuman  replied  that  the  party  ( jemaa ) had 
settled  close  to  the  mountain  of  Daroro  (to  look  around,  i.e.  high). 
“Very  well,-”  said  Mallam  Musa,  “the  name  of  your  town  will  be 
Jemaan  Daroro”  (the  n being  a contraction  of  na , of),  and  he 
then  gave  Usuman  a flag,  a robe,  a turban,  and  a fez,  to  be 
bestowed  in  his  name  upon  the  man  whom  the  people  should  elect 
as  their  chief.  On  his  return  to  Jemaan  Daroro,  Usuman  con- 
trived to  get  himself  chosen,  the  election  lying  between  himself 
and  Abdurahmanu,  the  old  titular  chief,  and  he  then  returned  to 
Zaria  with  the  news,  and  was  taken  by  Mallam  Musa  to  Sokoto 
to  be  officially  recognised  by  the  head  of  the  empire.  He 
reigned  for  about  thirteen  years,  when,  feeling  too  old  to  con- 
tinue, he  took  his  son  Abdulahi  to  Zaria  to  have  him  appointed 
in  his  stead.  Usuman,  who  died  in  the  following  year,  has  the 
reputation  of  having  been  a good  chief  and  a great  fighter,  for 
the  Ayu  tribe,  and  most  of  the  Numuna,  Karshe,  Moroa,  and 
Kajji  people  were  conquered  during  his  reign.  Lander  is  said 
to  have  visited  the  town  about  1827,  coming  from  the  north 
or  north-west,  and  to  have  intended  going  to  Bauchi,  but  as 
the  road  at  that  time  was  closed  by  the  head-hunting  tribes 

67 


MOHAMMEDANS  v.  PAGANS 

through  whose  country  it  lay,  he  had  to  give  up  the  project  and 
return  by  the  way  he  had  come. 

Abdulahi  was  the  eldest  son  of  Mallam  Usuman;  he  went 
with  the  chief  of  Zozo  (Zaria)  to  Lafia  Beriberi,  near  the  Benue 
river,  to  help  the  chief  of  that  town  against  some  of  the  sur- 
rounding tribes,  and  during  his  absence  the  Kagoro  attacked 
some  people  at  Mongwe — a suburb  of  Jemaa — and  killed  forty- 
two.  Abdulahi  then  returned  to  attack  the  Kagoro,  and  having 
destroyed  Jigya  and  Tafa  he  went  back  to  Lafia,  and  was  soon 
afterwards  shot  in  the  neck  with  an  arrow  and  killed  when 
attacking  Kwachigiddi. 

Musa,  Mallam  Usuman’s  second  son,  then  became  chief,  being 
appointed  by  Abd-el-Karimi,  the  new  chief  of  Zaria.  He  was 
a drunkard,  and  soon  afterwards  Hamada,  the  new  suzerain, 
threatened  to  depose  him,  summoning  him  and  Abdurahmanu 
to  Zaria,  but  dying  before  he  could  carry  out  his  intention.  The 
new  chief  of  Zaria  (Mohamma  Sani)  did  so  later,  and  appointed 
the  old  chief  Abdurahmanu  to  rule  over  Jemaan  Daroro,  banish- 
ing Musa  from  Jemaa  territory. 

Abdurahmanu  was  now  very  old,  and  after  three  years  he  was 
deposed  through  the  machinations  of  Musa,  who  was  again 
appointed,  only  to  be  again  removed.  Musa,  if  a hard  drinker, 
seems  to  have  been  a great  warrior,  for,  in  conjunction  with 
Abd-el-Karimi,  the  countries  of  Ninzam,  Kagoma,  and  the  rest 
of  Numuna  were  conquered,  and  the  Kagoro  were  defeated,  and 
most  of  their  crops  were  destroyed  in  a war  lasting  some  months. 
These  people  would,  perhaps,  have  been  annihilated  at  that  time, 
had  it  not  been  for  the  fact  that  one  of  Abd-el-Karimi’s  mallams 
had  a dream,  and  prophesied  that  whoever  finally  conquered  the 
Kasroro  would  die  within  a year.  The  war  had  then  lasted  some 
twelve  months,  and  on  that,  Chief  Abd-el-Karimi  retired  as  he 
could  get  no  supplies — the  Kagoro  having  buried  all  their 
remaining  grain — and  the  war  was  abandoned.  The  Kagoro 
had  been  brought  to  such  straits  that  they  afterwards  came 
to  Jemaan  Daroro  to  beg  for  food,  and  about  one  hundred  of 
them  were  taken  to  Zaria  as  slaves.  A similar  thing  happened 
when  Awudu,  chief  of  Zaria,  and  Adamu  of  Jemaa  fought 

68 


MOHAMMEDANS  v.  PAGANS 

them.  The  Kagoro  were  thus  never  properly  conquered  by  the 
Filani,  and  they  never  paid  tribute  to  Jemaa,  though  the 
Kajurawa  had  taken  slaves  from  them  annually. 

The  prophecy  was  supposed  to  be  still  in  force  when  I was 
in  Jemaan  Daroro  in  1909,  but  as  a British  patrol  brought  them 
thoroughly  under  control  over  twelve  months  ago,  I fear  that  no 
allowances  were  made  in  the  mallam’s  mind  for  the  strange 
doings  of  the  white  men.  And  no  wonder,  for  we  are  such 
extraordinary  beings  that  no  one  can  tell  what  we  will  do. 

Adamu,  a full  brother  of  Abdulahi,  succeeded  Musa,  and 
except  for  Abdurahmanu,  the  two  branches  of  Mallam  Usuman’s 
family  furnished  chiefs  alternately,  each  taking  it  in  turn  with 
Zaria’s  sanction  to  eject  the  other.  The  usual  charge  was 
drunkenness,  though  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  claimant  who 
brought  the  best  presents  to  the  suzerain  was  always  the  most 
successful,  and,  theoretically,  the  most  temperate. 

Mamma  Adda,  another  son  of  Mallam  Usuman,  also  had  two 
tastes  of  power,  and  two  unpleasant  removals,  being  finally  re- 
placed by  the  present  chief,  Abdulahi  (or  Matchu),  who  began  to 
reign  in  1888.  Fie  is  a grandson  of  Mallam  Usuman,  and  was 
appointed  by  Yerro,  chief  of  Zaria,  while  fighting  in  the  Kagoma 
district. 

There  had  been  wars  with  Kefli  in  the  time  of  Adamu,  but 
the  fighting  had  been  stopped  by  the  Emir  of  Sokoto.  However, 
about  1893,  trouble  arose  with  the  late  Magajin  Keffi  (the 
murderer  of  Maloney,  the  Resident  in  1902),  over  land  near 
Tsaunin  Kolere  to  the  south-west,  and  the  Keffi  people  came 
in  1895  as  far  as  Numbu  while  Abdulahi  was  at  Zambar,  but 
the  latter  drove  them  out,  and  appealed  to  Chief  Yerro  of 
Zaria  who  decided  in  favour  of  Jemaa. 

About  four  years  later  a plot  was  formed  to  replace  Abdulahi 
by  his  brother  Usuman,  the  ex-chief  of  Jagindi — a town  founded 
on  a deserted  pagan  site  by  the  Filani  in  the  reign  of  Adamu — 
the  chief  conspirators  besides  Usuman  being  Umoru,  chief  of 
Delle,  and  Shemaa,  a Filani.  Another  was  Mallam  Momo  Tsula, 
since  made  (in)famous  by  his  work  at  Abuja  in  1909,  where  he 
tried  to  seduce  soldiers  and  raise  a revolt,  but  was  captured  and 

69 


MOHAMMEDANS  v.  PAGANS 


imprisoned.  Usuman  had  been  deposed  by  his  brother,  and  had 
gone  to  Keffi,  but  he  returned  to  plot,  his  supplanter  bringing 
the  news  to  Abdulahi  at  Jemaa,  who  persuaded  a man,  Dan 
Zabia,  to  go  to  Umoru’s  house  at  night  and  murder  him.  The 
death  of  the  chief  of  Delle  so  enraged  his  followers  that  the 
whole  of  the  Jagindi  people  at  once  rose,  and  were  soon  aided 
by  the  Kagoma  and  Kajji  tribes,  and  by  Dangoma.  Fighting 
went  on  until  1903,  when  the  Resident  of  Kefli  intervened,  and 
a year  afterwards  Usuman  and  Shemaa  were  deported. 

The  Yeskwa,  previously  conquered,  signally  defeated  a Jemaa 
force  sent  against  them  in  1900,  and  have  since  thrown  off  their 
allegiance,  while  the  Ninzam  have  always  been  restless.  Abdulahi 
has  seen  a good  deal  of  service,  having  been  wounded  eight  times 
altogether;  he  is  a strong  man  requiring  firm  handling,  and 
naturally  does  not  appreciate  our  control.  He  can  speak  hardly 
any  Filani,  his  children  know  almost  none  at  all;  they  are  turn- 
ing into  Hausawa.  Owing  to  the  fact  that  this  country  once 
belonged  to  the  Kajurawa — the  principal  representatives  of  which 
tribe  are  now  at  Sanga — a courtesy  title  of  the  chief  of  Jemaa  is 
Sa(r)rikin  Kajuru  Filatihu. 

When  we  occupied  Jemaan  Daroro,  the  tribes  subject  to  the 
chief  became  ipso  facto  under  us  instead,  and  although  no  resist- 
ance was  offered  by  the  people  of  Jemaa  itself,  there  has  been 
trouble  with  every  one  of  the  native  tribes  in  the  surrounding 
districts.  The  reason  of  this  is  that  although  early  in  the 
nineteenth  century  the  Filani  organised  a complete  system  of 
revenue  collection  (copied  in  great  part  from  the  Hausawa),  the 
upper  classes  soon  began  to  lead  vicious  lives  in  the  towns,  and 
with  indulgence  came  the  demand  for  more  and  more  money,  and 
the  less  readiness  to  work  for  it,  until  what  might  have  been  at 
first  a fair  tax  grew  into  an  extortion.  Many  districts  supplied 
slaves  in  payment  of  the  impost,  and  this  meant  warring  with 
other  tribes,  for  they  did  not  wish  to  give  up  their  own  people — 
though  some  chiefs  had  descended  even  to  this  level  before  we  had 

o 

arrived — so  continued  raids  on  the  pagan  peoples  took  place  in  all 
directions.  This  sort  of  thing  naturally  caused  hatred  and  a 
thirst  for  revenge,  and  though  a raiding  party  might  be  successful 

70 


MOHAMMEDANS  v.  PAGANS 

so  far  as  the  capture  of  prisoners  was  concerned,  no  district  was 
ever  really  pacified  until  it  had  been  swept  almost  clear  of  fighting 
men ; otherwise,  directly  the  Filani  column  had  retired,  the  tribe 
would  be  as  hostile  as  before.  Thus  the  Kagoro,  occupying  the 
mountains  to  within  five  miles  of  Jemaan  Daroro,  were  still 
unconquered  when  I was  there  in  1909.  However,  this  town  was 
the  recognised  capital  of  the  greater  part  of  the  district,  and  so 
we  established  there  the  headquarters  of  one  of  the  adminis- 
trative divisions  of  which  five  in  all  form  the  whole  province  of 
Nassarawa. 

Our  policy  in  Northern  Nigeria  has  been  to  rule  the  country 
through  its  own  people,  and  wherever  possible  even  a chief  who 
has  fought  against  us  is  reinstalled  in  his  position  on  his  sub- 
mission if  he  has  proved  a good  ruler,  and  has  sworn  to  obey  us 
in  future.  It  is  the  only  possible  way ; to  bring  in  numbers  of 
new  men,  who,  however  desirable  from  our  point  of  view,  might 
be  perhaps  unacceptable  to  the  tribes  themselves,  would  have 
spelt  failure  from  the  first.  Besides,  the  former  chief  is  the  one 
to  help  us  if  he  will,  for  he  knows  the  country,  the  political  and 
economic  conditions,  and  the  peculiarity  of  the  inhabitants,  and 
when  once  convinced  that  we  can  and  will  punish  any  infidelity 
on  his  part,  he  is  usually  very  anxious  to  act  in  accordance  with 
our  rules.  And  we  do  not  make  these  too  numerous,  the  main 
idea  being  that  everything  shall  go  on  as  much  as  possible  as  it 
did  before,  except  that  acts,  such  as  murder,  slave-raiding,  theft, 
&c.,  shall  cease,  for  these  are  not  only  contrary  to  our  code,  but 
are  also  opposed  to  nearly  every  system  of  laws  and  customs 
met  with. 

Most  of  even  the  wildest  tribes  condemn  these  deeds  within 
the  tribe  itself,  though  they  may  sanction  them  when  strangers 
are  the  victims,  so  we  try  to  point  out  that  we,  being  a strange 
race,  have  no  more  interest  in  any  one  tribe  than  another,  that  we 
are  fathers  to  them  all,  and  since  that  is  so  they  must  be  brothers, 
and  therefore,  now,  of  the  same  tribe.  That  is  the  only  kind  of 
reasoning  which  they  will  understand ; it  is  of  no  earthly  use 
saying  that  God  will  be  angry  at  such  deeds,  that  they  are  not 
right,  and  so  on ; in  many  cases  the  only  gods  they  know  would 


MOHAMMEDANS  v.  PAGANS 

not  be  at  all  displeased  so  long  as  no  one  of  the  same  tribe 
suffered,  and  with  head-hunters  he  would  even  approve  of  the 
acts  if  directed  against  strangers  — or  at  any  rate  the  dead 
ancestors  would.  Perhaps  the  god  might  even  demand  victims 
for  sacrifice  at  certain  times. 

So  much  has  been  written  on  the  subject  of  Christianity  and 
Mohammedanism  in  West  Africa  that  I think  it  would  not  serve 
any  useful  purpose  to  say  much  here,  except  that  it  is  not  correct 
to  say  that  pagans  are  officially  encouraged  to  become  Moslems. 
It  is  true  that  we  support  the  Filani  rulers  in  Northern  Nigeria 
in  each  province  where  they  are  paramount,  because  they  were  in 
power  on  our  own  arrival,  but  there  are  some  towns  still  held 
absolutely  by  pagans,  and  no  tribe  conquered  by  us  would  be 
placed  under  Filani  rule.  Thus  in  the  Jemaa  division,  all  tribes 
which  the  chief  had  conquered  before  we  came  pay  their  tribute 
through  him  as  suzerain,  because  they  had  previously  recognised 
his  overlordship,  but  those  still  independent  on  our  arrival,  and 
since  subdued  by  us,  pay  direct  through  their  own  principal  chief 
to  the  Government,  and  no  Filani  has  anything  to  do  with  the 
collection. 

Many  of  the  pagan  tribes  have  imagined  that  because  we  are 
white  and  even  more  learned  than  the  Filani,  we  are  a glorified 
edition  of  that  people,  and  imprisonment  for  offences  is  regarded 
as  another  form  of  slavery.  We  have  therefore  to  be  very  careful 
not  to  use  this  form  of  punishment  if  it  can  be  avoided,  though 
the  problem  of  inflicting  an  appropriate  penalty  is  a difficult 
one  to  solve,  since  the  award  of  a fine  in  lieu  appears  to  them 
to  be  the  exact  equivalent  of  a ransom.  Still,  the  people  very 
quickly  begin  to  understand,  and  it  often  happens  that  a man 
who  has  served  a month  or  two  in  prison  and  then  returns  to  his 
people  will  prove  a valuable  ally  in  the  future,  for  he  has  gained 
some  knowledge  of  our  power,  and  has  probably  been  better  fed 
and  housed  than  ever  in  his  life  before.  The  affection  of  a native 
is  seated  mainly  in  his  digestive  organs;  you  can  even  beat  him  as 
often  as  you  like  if  you  feed  him  well ; so  long  as  his  stomach  is 
full  the  rest  of  his  body  will  not  trouble  him  much. 

We  have  therefore  to  be  careful  to  explain  to  pagan  tribes 

72 


MOHAMMEDANS  v.  PAGANS 


not  previously  conquered  by  the  Filani  that  they  will  be  treated 
in  exactly  the  same  way  as  our  Mohammedan  subjects,  for  we, 
being  Christians,  have  no  special  preference  for  either,  that  we  do 
not  preach  a Holy  War  in  the  cause  of  Christianity,  much  less 
on  account  of  Islam,  and  that  we  not  only  do  not  want  slaves 
ourselves,  but  will  prevent  any  other  people  obtaining  them. 
On  our  return  from  the  Wai-wai  country,  we  were  greeted  by 
hundreds  of  Mohammedans  from  Jemaan  Daroro  and  the  district 
who  shouted  our  praises  for  having  defeated  the  Kafiri ; and 
considering  that  we  are  also  called  by  that  name,  amongst  others, 
I pointed  out  at  once  that  the  patrol  had  not  been  against  the 
people  as  pagans,  but  as  head-hunters  and  slave-raiders,  and  that 
66  True-believer  ” or  “ Infidel  ” would  share  a like  fate  if  guilty 
of  similar  behaviour.  This,  I know,  did  not  make  me  popular 
amongst  the  Mohammedans,  but  the  pagans  were  pleased,  and 
they  were  my  especial  care,  for  the  Mohammedans  are  strong 
enough  to  look  after  themselves,  and  every  one  is  ready  to  con- 
sider them.  It  is  only  natural  for  a well-read  European  to  prefer 
an  educated  Mohammedan  to  an  unwashed  pagan,  but  it  is  well 
to  remember  that  of  all  a native  learns  a great  part  is  not  likely 
to  be  for  our  particular  benefit,  and  that  a good  deal  of  his 
knowledge  only  makes  him  all  the  more  cunning  and  dangerous. 

There  can  be  little  doubt  as  to  whether  Christianity  or  Islam 
is  the  better  suited  to  the  natives  of  West  Africa,  but  there  is 
no  doubt  at  all  that  the  limitation  of  only  one  wife  to  a man 
is  a very  great  obstacle  to  the  adoption  of  the  former,  and  it  is, 
I fear,  the  cause  rather  of  immorality  than  of  good  behaviour  in 
a country  where  children  are  nursed  for  so  Jong,  and  many  men 
are  too  poor  to  pay  the  fee  for  a wife.  Still,  it  is  well  to  remember 
that  any  encouragement  given  to  Mohammedanism  will  recoil  on 
our  own  heads,  for  the  great  factor  in  the  security  of  our  present 
rule  is  the  knowledge  that  we  are  disinterested  arbitrators  between 
peoples  varying  in  every  possible  way.  Once  let  these  tribes  be 
united  by  a common  religion,  once  let  them  be  fired  with  the 
fanatical  zeal  of  Islam,  and — well,  I think  there  will  be  trouble 
ahead. 

It  would  be  absurd  to  believe  that  Mohammedans  like  being 

73 


MOHAMMEDANS  v.  PAGANS 

ruled  by  Christians  whom  they  despise  and  regard  as  damned  in 
the  next  world — think  of  Egypt  and  Turkey  and  the  fact  that 
a Moslemah  cannot  marry  a Christian.  It  would  be  the  height 
of  folly  to  suppose  that,  because  we  have  put  down  slave-raiding 
and  tribal  warfare  to  a great  extent,  all  the  old  chiefs  have 
abandoned  their  desires  for  becoming  rich  in  an  easy  and  exciting 
way,  or  that  the  warlike  savage  is  ready  to  settle  down  to  what 
he  once  called  “ woman’s  work.” 

Northern  Nigeria  will  prove  a difficult  problem  for  future 
Governors,  and  the  solution  will  not  be  helped  by  the  multipli- 
cation of  revenue  and  other  returns  which  occupy  more  and  more 
of  the  official’s  time,  and  consequently  result  in  his  being  less  and 
less  able  to  visit  and  know  the  people  under  him.  The  only  safe 
policy  in  my  opinion — and  I venture  to  give  it  with  the  greatest 
respect,  of  course — is  to  allow  those  natives  who  want  to  become 
Christians  or  Moslems  to  do  so,  but  not  to  encourage  them  in 
any  way,  certainly  not  the  latter.  Those  who  wish  to  study  the 
subject  seriously  would  do  well  to  read  Dr.  Karl  Kumm’s  latest 
book — the  author,  by  the  way,  stayed  with  me  in  Jemaa  when  on 
his  way  to  Egypt.  On  the  contrary,  we  ought  to  do  everything 
that  is  possible  to  maintain  the  old  beliefs — though  they  may  be 
purged  of  any  particularly  objectionable  features — by  a sym- 
pathetic study  of  them,  thus  keeping  the  tribes  separate,  and 
avoiding  the  danger  of  their  combining  to  expel  us,  and  also 
conserving  to  the  savage  what  he  most  values  instead  of  teaching 
him  to  despise  his  ancestors;  for  strange  as  it  may  seem  to  us, 
there  is  a great  deal  of  good  in  his  laws  and  customs,  and  even 
in  his  religion. 


74 


CHAPTER  VII 


A BOUNDARY  COMMISSION 

IN  the  N assarawa,  Zaria,  Bauchi,  Yola,  Muri,  Bassa,  and  Kabba 
provinces  of  Northern  Nigeria  there  are  many  wild  pagan 
tribes  still  unknown — except  by  name — to  the  peace-loving 
missionary  ; still  ignorant  of  the  struggles  their  religion  will  cost 
them ; not  yet  aware  of  the  fact  that  their  cannibalism,  their 
head-hunting,  or  their  other  quaint  failings  will  soon  be  pro- 
hibited by  the  strong  and  ever-conquering  white  man. 

What  is  often  called  the  Pagan  Belt  stretches  across  these 
provinces  on  each  side  of,  and  parallel  with,  the  Benue  river,  and 
although  the  area  is  not  so  very  large,  the  diversity  of  the  customs 
and  the  difference  in  the  languages  is  very  great.  In  districts 
where  every  large  town  is  fighting  every  other,  there  is  naturally 
no  intercourse,  for  the  people  live  and  keep  themselves  within  a 
small  definite  area,  and  soon  little  differences  begin  to  creep  in 
here  and  there  until  at  length  the  people  of  one  town  can  hardly 
understand  those  of  another,  even  in  the  cases  wrhere  they  have 
come  from  the  same  original  stock.  If,  for  instance,  two  brothers 
quarrel  and  separate,  their  families  will  establish  houses  wide  apart, 
and  as  the  family  develops  into  the  tribe,  and  the  villages  become 
towns,  the  descendants  forget  their  ancient  connection  by  blood, 
and  remember  only  that  their  respective  ancestors  were  enemies. 
When  once  separated,  internal  changes  begin,  for  a priest  may 
become  very  powerful  and  may  alter  the  religious  observances,  or 
at  any  rate  some  of  the  ideas  ; a warrior  may  discover  some 
improvement  in  tactics,  or  in  the  manufacture  or  use  of  weapons ; 
the  people  of  one  town  may  capture  cattle,  while  those  of  the 
other  go  in  more  for  agriculture ; some  will  live  in  the  mountains, 
others  on  the  plains ; and  so  their  modes  of  life  become  distinct,  and 
the  only  agencies  likely  to  bring  the  people  together  again  are  the 


A BOUNDARY  COMMISSION 

advent  of  a strange  power  (either  by  conquest,  or  by  causing 
the  different  tribes  to  combine  against  them)  and  the*  rubber- 
finders,  or  other  traders,  and  blacksmiths.  The  Filani  were  the 
first  great  conquerors  of  Northern  Nigeria,  but  in  most  parts  we 
have  now  replaced  them,  and  our  conquests — being  made  in  the 
interests  of  civilisation,  and  not  for  the  purpose  of  capturing 
slaves — have  been  more  humane  and  peaceful  ; but  in  other  dis- 
tricts, particularly  on  the  southern  edge  of  the  plateau  between 
the  Nassarawa,  Bauchi,  and  Muri  provinces,  the  Hausa  traders 
are  even  now  the  only  civilising  agents.  Jemaan  Daroro  is  in  the 
heart  of  the  head-hunting  country,  the  tribes  indulging  in  this 
little  pastime  being  situated  in  the  eastern  half  of  the  Nassarawa 
province,  the  southern  quarter  of  the  Zaria  province,  and  the 
south-western  and  north-western  quarters  of  the  Bauchi  and  Muri 
provinces  respectively.  But  little  was  known  of  the  tribes  on  the 
borders  where  the  last  two  provinces  joined  Nassarawa  up  to  1908, 
and  in  the  November  of  that  year  I was  ordered  to  take  an  escort 
to  join  a Political  Officer  from  Bauchi,  and  to  proceed  along  the 
boundary  to  decide  upon  a line  definitely  dividing  the  provinces 
from  one  another.  This  district  was  on  the  other  side  of  the  range 
to  the  Ankwoi  country,  and  I was  hopeful  of  being  able  to  link  up 
my  old  route  there  from  Amar,  or  at  any  rate  to  go  very  near  to 
it,  but  the  fates  in  the  shape  of  the  Toffs — a rather  smart  name 
for  a naked  people — decided  otherwise.  Leaving  Jemaan  Daroro 
at  the  beginning  of  the  month  (the  party,  consisting  of  myself  as 
Political  Officer,  an  escort  of  an  officer  and  twenty-five  men,  and 
some  forty  carriers),  we  marched  east  along  the  base  of  the  Kagoro 
hills,  and  joined  a similar  party  from  Bauchi  near  the  border,  and 
then  turning  south  proceeded  along  the  top  of  the  mountain  range 
which  divides  the  two  provinces.  Our  instructions  were  to  delimit 
the  provincial  boundary,  to  find  out  something  about  the  people 
there,  and  to  avoid  all  hostilities — such  an  easy  order  to  give  on 
paper,  such  a difficult  one  to  obey  in  real  life  amongst  pagans  who 
have  never  seen  a white  man,  and,  what  is  much  more  to  the  point, 
do  not  want  to  see  one  ! 

Owing  to  a mistake  in  the  identity  of  a town  (it  having  a 
different  name  in  each  province),  we  were  led  out  of  our  way,  and 

76 


Kajji  Women  of  Mersa 

The  tail  the  sign  of  marriage — worn  by  most  of  these  tribes  is  like  the  abo%'e,  and  is  nearly  always  worn  over  a hunch  of  leaves.  Nos.  i,  2, 
and  3 have  decorated  the  edges  of  their  tails  with  beads,  and  in  the  case  of  Nos.  1 and  3 the  stumps  have  been  cased  in  brass.  See  p.  104. 


A BOUNDARY  COMMISSION 


had  to  climb  first  down  and  then  up  the  edge  of  the  table-land  (a 
very  appropriate  name  in  this  case,  for  the  sides  were  almost  as 
steep  as  table  legs),  this  proving  an  experience  which  will  not  be 
easily  forgotten  by  those  who  went  through  it.  The  mountains 
were  almost  perpendicular,  and  there  was  no  chance  of  riding — in 
fact,  it  was  as  much  as  the  poor  little  ponies  could  do  to  drag 
their  own  bodies  up,  even  though  freed  from  their  riders.  The 
paths — very  few  tracks  in  West  Africa  can  be  called  roads,  and 
these  were  execrable  even  for  that  country — were  almost  stair- 
cases, great  slabs  of  rock  jutting  out  here  and  there,  and  forming 
obstacles  which  were  even  worse  for  the  animals  than  for  the  men. 
Our  loads  were,  of  course,  borne  on  carriers’  heads,  and  some  idea 
of  the  difficulty  of  the  ground  may  be  gathered  from  the  fact  that, 
although  we  had  only  some  fifty  soldiers  and  about  ninety  others, 
and  there  were  frequent  rests  to  allow  the  rear  of  the  column  to 
close  up,  the  tail  was  over  two  hours  behind  the  head,  both  on  the 
day  that  we  descended  the  range  and  on  the  next  day  when  we 
ascended  it  again. 

We  would  mount  one  rise  and  there  would  be  another  young 
mountain  ahead,  another  climb  and  still  a further  hill,  again  a 
scramble  and  yet  again  a height.  It  was  enough  to  break  one’s 

J O D O 

heart.  The  grass,  mere  dry  stubble  in  most  parts,  was  very  stiff’ 
and  slippery,  it  having  been  burnt  off,  except  in  sheltered  spots  or 
near  water,  and  every  hundred  yards  or  so  one  of  us  would  trip  on 
a root  or  a stone  and,  failing  to  save  himself,  come  down  heavily — 
and  how  heavy  one  is  at  such  times  ! The  endless,  endless  rocks, 
the  uneven  paces  we  had  to  take,  the  grasping  and  holding  on  to 
tufts  of  stubble  to  keep  one’s  footing,  the  continual  grazing  of  an 
ankle  or  a knee,  the  cutting  of  our  fingers  by  the  longer  grass,  and 
the  parching  of  our  throats  by  the  hot,  dry  air — Heavens ! how 
we  longed  for  a comfortable  bed,  a long  drink,  and  a sleep ; how 
unattainable  they  seemed,  and  how  good  they  were  when  at  last 
we  really  got  them.  It  is  very  often  at  these  times  that  the  native 
shows  how  good  a fellow  he  really  is  at  heart ; soldiers  and  carriers 
would  help  one  another  over  specially  difficult  places,  or  take  turns 
to  carry  a load,  and  there  was  nearly  always  some  one  ready  with 
a joke  or  with  a word  of  encouragement  for  his  fellow-sufferers.  My 

77 


A BOUNDARY  COMMISSION 

good  old  Yoruba  messenger,  Ajai  (the  connoisseur  of  cockroaches 
as  related  in  another  chapter),  wanted  to  carry  me — and  I am  not 
light — because  I was  very  short  of  wind  through  having  caught  a 
bad  cold  on  the  first  night  of  exposure  to  the  chilly  air  of  the 
plateau,  the  temperature  there  being  much  lower  than  at  Jemaa. 
I can  see  his  ugly  old  face  yet,  more  like  that  of  a bull-pup  than  a 
man,  with  his  faithful,  dog-like  eyes,  and  a body  of  muscle  almost 
as  broad  as  it  was  long.  Another  who  showed  up  well  was  the 
headman  of  my  carriers,  Balaribe,  who  carried  the  whole  of  a 
large  tent  up  one  of  the  smaller  hills,  though  it  was  usually 
allotted  to  three  men  even  on  level  ground.  As  for  us  four 
Europeans,  we  did  not  see  much  of  each  other,  since  we  had  to 
take  charge  of  different  parts  of  the  column;  but  I think  the 
others  were  just  as  glad  of  a whisky,  bath,  and  bed  as  I was  on 
arrival  at  the  camp,  the  spot  chosen  being  a village  called  Ban- 
dang,  just  over  the  top. 

Next  morning  we  pushed  on  to  Monguna,  which  had  given 
trouble  before  (and  has  done  so  again  since),  and  on  the  14th  we 
entered  unknown  country  and  camped  at  Sha.  The  people,  being 
afraid,  had  all  run  away,  and  it  was  only  towards  dark  that  the 
guides  (procured  from  a village  en  route)  who  had  been  sent  out  on 
our  arrival  to  make  overtures  of  peace,  managed  to  persuade  some 
of  the  men  to  come  in  and  sell  us  grain  and  goat-flesh.  There 
were  no  yams  there,  the  people  living  on  guinea-corn  (a  red  millet), 
and  a kind  of  grain  which  made  a dish  reminding  me  of  ground 
rice — I do  not  know  the  English  name,  the  Hausa  is  atcha ; it  is 
common  in  Zaria  and  elsewhere.  When  this  fails,  a bitter  root, 
which  the  Hausas  call  gwaza,  seems  to  be  the  only  food,  a very 
poor  substitute  for  yam,  being  (to  my  taste,  and  also  to  that 
of  a lot  of  our  men)  very  unpalatable,  and  liable  to  make  the 
throat  sore.  Eggs  and  milk  were  unprocurable — in  fact,  as  has 
been  noticed  elsewhere,  this  kind  of  pagan  never  milks  cattle 
even  if  he  has  them. 

As  we  were  on  a mission  of  “ peaceful  penetration  ” we  were 
most  anxious  not  to  alarm  the  inhabitants,  nor  to  provoke 
hostilities,  and  so  we  did  not  enter  any  of  the  towns,  but 
camped  outside,  and  invited  the  people  to  come  out  and  trade. 

78 


A BOUNDARY  COMMISSION 


Before  leaving  we  would  ask  the  chief  to  send  a messenger  on 
to  the  next  town  to  tell  the  people  there  that  we  were  friendly, 
and  that  they  need  not  run  away,  but  that  they  should  stay 
and  prepare  food,  for  which  we  would  pay  in  full,  the  payment 
being  made  in  strips  of  cloth,  looking  - glasses,  or  strings  of 
beads,  all  money — even  cowries — being  then  unknown  there.  It 
was  very  amusing  to  see  a dirty  old  man,  who  had  been  a 
stranger  to  water  for  years,  wrap  a piece  of  calico  round  his 
head  and  admire  himself  in  the  looking-glass  with  the  most 
childish  delight.  Needless  to  say,  the  colour  of  the  white 
calico,  after  having  been  passed  around  and  examined  by  vari- 
ous friends  and  admirers,  became  almost  indistinguishable  from 
that  of  the  wearer’s  body ; but  that  did  not  seem  to  matter, 
the  main  idea  being,  apparently,  that  the  calico  itself,  and 
not  the  colour  of  it,  was  the  important  thing.  As  each  group 
of  towns  had  a different  language,  and  many  of  the  tribes 
were  at  war  with  one  another,  our  messages  were  sometimes 
disregarded  or  never  delivered,  and  although  I thought  this  state 
of  affairs  unfortunate  at  the  time,  we  were  thankful  afterwards, 
as  it  proved  our  salvation. 

Next  morning  we  inarched  first  to  ’Mbun,  a small  town 
built  at  the  bottom  of  what  was  an  enormous  well  of  rock, 
being  surrounded  on  all  sides  by  almost  straight  walls,  through 
which  were  only  two  natural  openings  opposite  one  another,  as  if 
made  for  ingress  and  egress.  By  the  way,  there  seems  to  be  a great 
attraction  for  spelling  African  names  with  an  apostrophe  before 
the  first  letter.  In  this  case,  the  accent  is  on  the  “ bun,”  the 
u M ” being  only  just  distinguishable,  and  so  I think  that  the 
apostrophe  is  correctly  used,  though  I have  seen  another  town 
described  as  ’Mbel,  though  the  sound  was  as  plainly  as  possible 
Ambel,  the  accent  being  on  the  first  syllable. 

However,  to  return  to  ’Mbun : we  found  that  all  the  people 
had  disappeared  with  the  exception  of  the  chief  and  one  or 
two  men,  but  as  these  were  friendly  and  produced  some  food, 
we  had  our  breakfasts  and  then  went  on  to  the  town  of  Toff. 
It  is  usually  a sign  of  danger  to  see  no  women  about,  so  one 
generally  looks  around  for  them,  or  else  listens  for  the  thumping 


A BOUNDARY  COMMISSION 

of  the  pestles  in  the  wooden  mortars,  or  the  grinding  of  the 
stones  which  signify  the  preparation  of  food,  and  should  every- 
thing be  quiet,  it  is  well  to  be  on  one’s  guard  ; another  sign 
is  the  absence  of  food.  Naturally,  when  natives  fear  an  attack, 
the  first  thing  they  do  is  to  get  their  women  and  food-stuffs 
into  a place  of  safety,  and  it  is  necessary  to  be  prepared  for  a 
counter-attack  when  this  has  happened,  for  the  people  may 
think  this  their  best  means  of  defence.  Even  the  most  gentle 
bird,  if  frightened,  may  try  to  peck  the  hand  of  one  who  is 
doing  his  best  to  make  friends  with  it,  and  savages  are  not 
exactly  gentle  birds  at  all  times. 

The  country  from  Sha  to  Toff  was  execrable — or  worse  if 
there  be  a stronger  word  to  describe  it — the  path  lying  between 
high  rocks  for  the  greater  part  of  the  distance,  where  stones 
and  poisoned  arrows  would  have  been  almost  as  effective  as 
bullets;  and  for  the  last  mile  or  more,  these  hills  had  been 
covered  by  armed  men  with  quivers  of  arrows  slung  on  their 
backs,  the  shafts  showing  up  above  their  heads,  and  “wanting 
war”  as  my  Orderly  said.  The  Bauchi  Resident  and  I went  on 
alone  to  show  that  we  were  not  going  to  attack  them,  and  we 
were  not  molested,  but  we  had  rather  an  anxious  moment  when, 
on  arriving  at  the  top  of  a rise  just  outside  Toff,  we  were  met  by 
the  chief  and  a number  of  his  warriors,  all  armed  with  clubs  and 
long  knives.  They  seemed  inclined  to  dispute  our  passage  at 
first,  but  seeing  smiles  on  our  faces — though  we  felt  far  from 
frivolous,  the  escort  being  about  half  a mile  behind  with  the 
carriers — they  allowed  us  to  pass  in  peace,  and,  avoiding  the 
town,  we  camped  on  clear  ground  near  some  trees,  marking 
places  for  our  four  tents  in  the  centre,  the  men’s  bivouacs  being 
placed  around  them  as  usual.  The  remainder  of  the  column 
arrived  soon  afterwards,  the  tents  were  pitched,  and  before  long 
we  were  enjoying  the  savoury  odour  of  “Lazenby’s”  or  other 
delicacies,  which  are  especially  welcome  in  a country  where  a 
European  can  eat  only  what  he  has  brought  with  him  in  his 
chop-box — and  how  anxiously  one  examines  it  towards  the  end  of 
a trek,  especially  if  out  longer  than  was  expected ! 

It  may  seem  paradoxical  to  say  that  the  military  officer, 

80 


A BOUNDARY  COMMISSION 


whose  profession  is  fighting,  has  a much  less  dangerous  life  in 
these  wild  countries  than  a Resident,  whose  aim  is  rather  to 
make  the  peace  than  to  break  it;  but  it  is  so.  Whenever  the 
former  travels,  he  is  accompanied  by  troops ; he  camps  in  the 
positions  best  suited  for  defence ; if  there  is  to  be  fighting,  he 
comes  prepared,  and  when  it  is  over,  he  goes  back  to  his  head- 
quarters. The  Political  Officer,  on  the  other  hand,  has  to  visit 
the  people  alone,  for  a small  escort  would  often  be  more  dangerous 
than  none  at  all  since  it  would  invite  an  attack,  and  yet  be  power- 
less to  beat  it  off.  He  has  to  get  into  touch  with  the  people, 
and  so  he  cannot  choose  his  camping-ground  purely  for  reasons 
of  defence  ; he  has  to  avoid  hostilities,  if  possible,  and  so  cannot 
go  prepared  for  them,  though  should  he  be  out  with  a patrol,  he 
has  the  same  risks  to  run  as  the  commander  of  the  force,  for  the 
two  must  keep  together,  or  else,  perhaps,  he  goes  ahead  to  give 
the  enemy  a last  chance  of  submitting.  And  finally,  after  the 
fighting  is  over  and  the  troops  have  returned,  he  again  visits  the 
towns  alone  to  receive  the  indemnity,  or  fine,  or  whatever  it  may 
be.  In  the  more  settled  districts,  these  conditions  hardly  exist 
nowadays,  though  there  is  always  a risk  when  the  representative 
of  the  ruling  power  has  an  unpopular  duty  to  perform  and  is  not 
protected  ; but  in  the  Pagan  Belt — occupied  mainly  by  head- 
hunting tribes — the  danger  is  very  real,  and  it  will  be  found 
to  be  the  case  that  the  great  majority  of  the  Residents  there 
belongs  or  has  belonged  to  some  branch  of  his  Majesty’s 
naval  or  military  forces,  usually  the  latter.  I do  not  say  that 
the  men  have  been  posted  there  because  of  that  special  quali- 
fication, but  there  is  no  doubt  that  they  are  the  best  fitted,  and 
they  have  in  some  way  found  their  level  in  the  districts  where  their 
training  is  of  the  most  use  to  them.  It  is  often  said  in  joke 
that  the  Residents  are  the  “ bait,”  while  the  Waffs  are  the 
“fishermen,”  and,  as  is  well  known,  the  bait  generally  has  an 
unenviable  time,  being  destroyed  in  order  to  provide  excitement 
and  perhaps  reward  for  the  fisher. 

On  the  following  morning  one  of  the  military  officers  had 
fever,  so  we  decided  not  to  proceed  farther  that  day,  but  to 
rest  the  horses  and  carriers,  who  had  had  a very  bad  gruelling. 

81  F 


A BOUNDARY  COMMISSION 

All  was  quiet  during  the  morning  : the  chief  paid  us  frequent 
visits — no  doubt  sizing  up  our  strength — bringing  a little  food  for 
sale  each  time,  and  even  showing  us  how  he  could  (or  could  not) 
dance ; so  we  had  no  reason  to  suspect  that  trouble  was  brewing. 
Nevertheless,  we  did  not  allow  any  one  of  our  party  to  enter  the 
town  under  any  pretext  whatever,  these  restrictions  having  been 
rigidly  enforced  ever  since  we  had  left  friendly  country.  We 
thus  thought  that  we  were  progressing  satisfactorily  in  the  good 
graces  of  our  hosts,  and  we  had  a rude  shock  when,  about 
3.30  p.m.,  some  of  the  carriers  ran  up  and  said  that  they  had 
been  shot  at  while  gathering  wood  just  outside  the  camp.  Hardly 
believing  this,  three  of  us  took  our  shot-guns  to  make  a noise, 
if  necessary — we  did  not  think  rifles  would  be  required — and 
went  with  the  carriers  to  the  spot  which  they  indicated,  and 
when  only  about  300  yards  away  from  the  tents,  we  saw  some 
armed  pagans  who,  however,  ran  off*  at  our  approach. 

A little  food  had  been  brought  in  during  the  morning,  but 
none  since  then,  and  this  act  of  hostility  made  it  quite  clear  that 
we  need  expect  no  more.  And  as  there  was  a yam  field  close  by 
— these  tubers  were  probably  introduced  by  the  Hausa  rubber 
traders,  so  we  heard  afterwards — and  the  men  had  no  food  left, 
we  decided  to  help  ourselves,  and  to  send  later  to  the  chief 
inviting  him  to  come  and  claim  payment.  This,  of  course,  has 
to  be  done  very  often  under  such  circumstances,  otherwise  the 
men  would  starve,  and  it  usually  does  much  more  good  than 
harm,  for  among  these  peoples,  where  might  is  right,  it  is  a very 
common  occurrence  for  the  stronger  party  to  carry  off*  the  other’s 
goods  without  paying  any  compensation,  so  they  are  agreeably 
surprised  when  we  actually  pay,  and  pay  the  proper  price  too, 
for  what  we  have  taken,  although  they  have  not  the  power  to 
force  us  to  do  so,  and  they  are  thus  all  the  more  ready  to  believe 
in  us  and  be  friendly.  It  is  easy  enough  for  a weak  tribe  to  say 
to  a stronger  that  robbery  and  capture  are  wrong ; but  when  the 
white  man,  who  is  even  more  powerful  still,  says  so,  and  though 
he  has  the  power  to  do  what  he  likes,  refuses  to  use  it  unjustly, 
the  natives  begin  to  believe  that  there  really  must  be  something 
in  our  protestations  of  goodwill  and  justice. 

82 


A BOUNDARY  COMMISSION 

Two  of  us  accompanied  the  yam  party  with  our  shot-guns,  but 
as  an  extra  precaution,  my  police  orderly  followed  me  with  his 
carbine.  We  again  saw  some  pagans,  and,  thinking  they  would 
run  away  as  before,  we  proceeded  to  the  field  without  taking  any 
notice  of  them.  But  the  Toffs  had  evidently  come  to  the  con- 
clusion that  the  44  white  man’s  medicine  ” was  not  of  much 
account,  and  they  crept  up  towards  us  through  the  grass. 
Suddenly  we  became  aware  of  sounds  like  44  thith  thith, 
thith,”  and  poisoned  arrows  began  falling  amongst  us.  One 
soldier  was  wounded  through  his  lower  lip  and  gum,  and  a 
few  minutes  later,  I felt  a sting  on  the  point  of  my  nose. 
Luckily,  the  arrow  took  only  a little  of  the  outside  skin,  and 
spent  its  force  on  my  orderly’s  fez,  which  was  knocked  off*,  and 
I must  say  that  I was  just  as  pleased,  for  the  nose  would  be  a 
very  awkward  part  of  the  anatomy  to  ligature.  Arrows  were 
now  coming  thick  and  fast  from  our  front  and  left  flank,  and  we 
fell  back  a little  towards  the  camp  so  as  to  be  clear  of  the  grass, 
meanwhile  sending  a messenger  back  for  a section  of  the  escort, 
and  directly  the  Toffs  saw  this  rearward  movement,  hoarse  shouts 
resounded  fon  all  sides,  and  black  savage  heads  bobbed  up  from 
the  grass  in  all  directions,  showing  how  well  the  warriors  had 
hidden  themselves.  From  the  number  of  the  Toffs  attacking  us, 
it  was  evident  that  they  had  been  meditating  the  move  for  some 
time,  as  many  were  far  from  their  huts,  and  could  not  have 
returned  there  and  procured  their  bows  and  arrows  in  the  short 
interval  between  the  two  attacks.  Our  reinforcements  came  up 
at  the  double,  and,  opening  fire,  soon  drove  off  our  assailants,  who 
retired  to  the  shelter  of  some  rocks,  and  their  arrows  being  now 
useless,  they  substituted  abuse — at  least,  I suppose  so ; the  tone 
did  not  sound  at  all  friendly  or  polite. 

We  procured  our  yams,  and  then  returned  to  the  camp,  but 
hearing  drums  being  beaten  in  all  directions,  we  knew  we  were  in 
for  a hot  time,  and  so  decided  to  take  up  a new  and  more  open 
position,  and  form  a square  round  it — an  Irishism  perhaps,  but 
appropriate  to  the  real  disposition.  Strangely  enough  they 
allowed  us  to  move  in  peace — perhaps  fascinated  by  the  way  the 
tents  were  shifted — but  no  sooner  had  we  done  so,  than  we  were 

83 


A BOUNDARY  COMMISSION 

attacked  on  all  sides  by  hordes  of  yelling  savages,  and  we  were 
soon  firing  as  hard  as  we  could  to  keep  off  a charge.  Their  war- 
cry  was  a cross  between  a dog’s  bark,  a donkey’s  braying,  and 
Wagner’s  Song  of  the  Valkyries  — more  loud  than  beautiful, 
though  very  thrilling — and  it  was  accompanied  by  drumming, 
shouting,  and  blowing  on  horns  and  an  instrument  giving  a 
sound  like  that  of  a child’s  tin  trumpet,  the  latter  sounding  woe- 
fully inappropriate  to  us,  but  no  doubt  pleasing  the  Toffs  very 
much.  Meanwhile,  arrows  were  coming  in  showers  on  three  sides 
of  the  square,  and  we  thought  we  were  in  for  a long  casualty  list. 
One  officer  got  two  through  the  roof  of  his  tent,  and  several  of 
the  men  had  their  clothing  pierced,  but  no  one  else  was  actually 
hit.  Luckily,  the  horses,  which  are  usually  trying  to  bite  or  kick 
one  another,  when  close  together,  gave  us  no  trouble,  and  most 
of  the  camp-followers  seemed  fairly  at  ease,  though  quiet.  The 
cooks  soon  began  making  the  dinners  in  the  open  by  the  tents — 
my  boy  had  fought  against  the  British  force  at  Kano  in  1903 — 
singing  their  songs,  which  seem  to  be  indispensable  if  the  meal  is 
to  be  a success,  in  a high  falsetto  voice  as  usual,  though  guilty  of 
a glance  of  disapproval  now  and  then  if  an  arrow  came  too  close. 
I wonder  if  the  twang  in  their  voices  is  responsible  for  that 
peculiar  W est  African  flavour  in  their  dishes  ? Only  an  African 
can  accomplish  either. 

The  attack  lasted  about  two  hours.  Twice  attempts  were 
made  to  rush  the  square,  but  as  they  were  heralded  in  each  case 
by  extra  shouting,  drumming,  and  noisy  encouragement  generally, 
we  were  able  to  concentrate  and  strengthen  our  fire  in  the  threat- 
ened quarter,  and  so  frustrate  them.  A few  men,  probably  minor 
chiefs,  with  long  Zulu-Kafir-like  shields,  strutted  up  and  down  in 
front  of  their  followers,  defying  us  to  hit  them,  and  strangely 
enough,  we  could  not  do  so.  We  could  hardly  believe  that  the 
shields  were  bullet-proof,  the  targets  were  plain  and  quite  close, 
and  some  of  the  native  soldiers  were  excellent  shots,  yet  we  did 
the  bearers  no  harm,  apparently.  Nor  was  our  non-success  due  to 
unsteadiness ; nearly  all  of  us  had  seen  service  before — some  of 
the  men  a dozen  times ; the  fire-control  was  perfect — it  had  to  be, 
for  the  ammunition  was  limited — and  we  hit  other  men  who  were 

84 


A BOUNDARY  COMMISSION 

without  shields  and  were,  therefore,  much  worse  targets.  The 
soldiers  themselves  easily  accounted  for  the  fact  by  attributing 
the  immunity  of  the  shield-men  to  magani  (magic),  but  I fear 
that  that  explanation  did  not  quite  convince  us. 

At  about  seven  o’clock  the  attack  died  down,  and  we  made 
our  dispositions  for  the  night.  Perhaps  it  ought  to  have  been 
mentioned  when  comparing  the  duties  of  the  political  and  military 
officers  that,  so  long  as  things  are  peaceful,  the  Resident  naturally 
directs  the  conduct  of  the  movements,  the  Waff  officers  being 
merely  part  of  the  escort ; but  directly  hostilities  commence,  the 
civil  official  becomes  a subordinate,  and  it  was  rather  strange  that 
the  man  now  in  command  should  be  the  youngest  and  the  least 
experienced  of  the  four  of  us.  The  Bauchi  Resident  had  been  in 
some  previous  skirmishes  in  Northern  Nigeria,  and  the  commander 
of  his  escort  had  been  a captain  in  Ashanti  during  the  expedition 
of  1900,  but  having  transferred  from  the  militia,  in  which  he  was 
then  serving,  to  the  regular  army,  he  had  lost  the  benefit  of  all 
his  previous  service,  and  had  had  to  commence  again  at  the 
bottom  of  the  list  of  second-lieutenants.  I myself  had  seen 
service  in  South  Africa  and  in  Ashanti,  my  captaincy  being 
obtained  during  the  former  campaign,  and  I had  had  charge  of 
a few  police  patrols  in  Northern  Nigeria,  as  already  mentioned, 
which,  although  they  were  not  active  service  exactly,  were  good 
training.  Yet  we  all  automatically  became  junior  to  the  lieu- 
tenant in  the  Waffs,  who  had  never  seen  service  before,  as  soon  as 
fighting  commenced.  Regulations  create  strange  conditions  at 
times,  though  in  a way  one  can  see  the  reason  of  such  rules ; but  it 
seemed  rather  unsatisfactory  that  in  a position  of  great  danger 
such  as  this  was,  our  lives  should  be  entrusted  to  the  one  who  had 
had  the  least  real  experience  which  could  be  of  any  use  under  the 
circumstances.  And  in  saying  this,  I do  not  mean  to  insinuate 
that  he  did  not  do  well ; I only  wish  to  point  out  that  the 
regulations  brought  about  a curious  condition  of  affairs. 

We  took  it  in  turns  to  go  round  the  sentries  at  night,  and  I 
found  an  excellent  plan  to  keep  the  men  awake  in  giving  them  a 
Hausa  proverb  to  pass  on  round  the  cordon  until  it  came  back 
to  me.  The  native  soldier  will  fight  like  a fury  while  he  sees  the 

85 


A BOUNDARY  COMMISSION 


need  of  it,  but  he  is  not  keen  on  doing  sentry-go  afterwards, 
especially  as  it  is  his  nature  to  leave  worries  to  others,  and  there 
was  on  this  occasion  a great  temptation  for  the  men  to  go  to  sleep, 
for  all  were  lying  down  so  as  to  present  as  small  a target  as 
possible  in  the  event  of  a night  attack.  The  Hausas,  who 
made  up  a goodly  proportion  of  the  force,  are  extremely  fond 
of  proverbs,  and  they  quite  entered  into  the  spirit  of  this 
kind  of  thing,  especially  as  some  of  the  sayings  were  very 
appropriate. 

The  moon  came  out  about  11  p.m.  and  it  was  then  evident 
that  there  would  be  no  further  attack  that  night,  and  although 
drumming  was  still  to  be  heard,  and  fires  were  burning  on  the 
hills  all  round  us,  we  felt  that  we  could  relax  our  vigilance  some- 
what, and  reduce  the  number  of  sentries.  What  would  happen  on 
the  morrow  we  did  not  know  ; our  anxiety  was  centred  on  the 
question  whether  the  ’Mbun  people  and  those  farther  on  would 
attack  us,  and,  if  so,  would  the  ammunition  last  out.  But  that 
was  for  to-morrow — this  was  still  to-day,  and  we  were  dead-beat ; 
to  be  fresh  and  ready  for  the  work  it  was  necessary  to  get  some 
sleep,  so  having  arranged  regular  turns,  those  of  us  not  on  duty 
went  to  bed. 

To  make  certain  that  I did  not  myself  go  to  sleep,  I sat  out 
on  a shooting-stick,  but  even  thus,  during  my  second  turn,  I 
found  myself  musing  over  the  events  of  the  day.  When  I was 
hit,  old  Ajai,  the  court  messenger,  tore  off*  his  long  Hausa  robe 
and  wanted  to  hold  it  in  front  of  me,  while  the  police  orderly 
snatched  off  his  charms  (bought  from  the  Mohammedan  mallams 
in  Jemaan  Daroro  specially  to  ward  off  arrows)  and  tried  to  tie 
them  round  my  waist.  Although  the  men  got  in  my  way  and 
made  me  angry  at  the  time,  it  was  good  afterwards  to  feel  that 
one's  own  followers  would  do  these  things  for  their  white  masters 


(the  others  had  somewhat  similar  experiences),  for  both  really 
thought  that  they  themselves  were  running  extra  risks  in  thus 
shielding  me.  Old  Ajai  cried  when  I left  him  afterwards  at 
Keffi,  and  although  his  great  ugly  face  looked  more  grotesque 
than  ever  when  bathed  in  tears,  I did  not  feel  at  all  inclined 
to  laugh  at  him.  As  for  the  policeman,  he  proved  his  pluck  on 


86 


A BOUNDARY  COMMISSION 


several  occasions,  but  his  name  does  not  appear,  for  I had  to 
sentence  him  later  on  to  imprisonment  for  theft  and  extortion. 

It  is  sad  to  think  how  many  of  our  proteges  go  wrong ; most 
officers  can  vouch  for  the  fact  that  some  of  their  soldiers  who 
are  splendid  men  as  privates  cannot  be  permanently  advanced, 
because,  whenever  they  are  given  a stripe,  they  at  once  use 
their  authority  for  the  purpose  of  extorting  contributions  from 
the  pay  of  the  men  under  them.  And  often  the  relief  of  a white 
official  at  the  end  of  his  tour  of  duty  means  the  rearrangement  of 
the  black  staff  under  him,  for  many  natives  will  do  very  good 
work  for  one  master  and  very  bad  work  for  another.  I think  it 
is  not  sufficiently  recognised  that  the  ordinary  untutored  native 
has  but  little  idea  of  his  own  steady,  permanent  advancement ; he 
lays  up  no  goods  for  the  morrow,  he  is  rich  one  day  and  poor  the 
next,  a gradual  rise  in  status  hardly  forming  part  of  his  calcula- 
tions. His  service  is  a personal  one,  given  to  the  wffiite  master 
who  has  won  his  affections — the  Government  is  nothing  ; perhaps 
there  may  be  some  white  men  greater  than  his  own  master,  but 
they  cannot  compare  with  him  in  other  ways,  and  at  any  rate 
they  do  not  concern  the  servant.  Perhaps  they  provide  the 
money,  but  his  own  master  gives  him  his  pay,  and  he  is  not 
going  to  trouble  about  the  source  wdience  it  is  obtained ; other 
white  men  may  come  and  relieve  him,  but  the  subordinate  owes 
them  nothing,  and  so  he  need  not  mind  how  he  works  or  behaves 
to  them — and  thus  the  poor  fellow  comes  to  grief  in  at  least 
one-half  of  the  cases. 

But  my  turn  of  duty  being  up  I returned  again  to  my  tent, 
and,  being  tired  out,  it  was  not  long  before  I had  forgotten  the 
natives’  troubles  as  well  as  my  own  worries. 

Any  chance  of  making  friends  wdth  the  Toffs  then  was  gone, 
so  we  had  determined  to  leave  at  daybreak — in  fact,  we  should 
have  done  so  the  day  previously  but  for  the  fact  that  one  of  the 
officers  had  fever,  as  mentioned  before.  There  was  only  one  way 
out  of  this  mouse-trap,  so  the  guide  had  told  us  the  previous 
night,  viz.  by  the  way  we  had  come,  and  as  this  passed  close  to 
the  town,  and  was  but  a narrowr  ledge  on  the  side  of  what  was 
almost  a miniature  precipice,  commanded  by  rocks  above,  and  by 

87 


A BOUNDARY  COMMISSION 

other  hills  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  defile,  we  expected  a warm 
reception.  But,  strange  to  say,  although  we  were  late  in  starting, 
and  although  our  movements  had  been  observed,  we  found  that 
the  route  was  not  closed,  and  the  head  of  the  little  column  entered 
the  pass  before  the  natives  seemed  to  realise  that  we  were  actually 
leaving.  Immediately  drums  began  beating,  and  war-whoops 
arose,  and  soon  we  were  again  engaged  ; but  after  a short  fight, 
which  was  mainly  a rear-guard  action,  we  found  ourselves  clear  of 
our  adversaries,  with  only  one  more  casualty  on  our  side.  The 
carriers  trudged  on  with  their  loads,  the  horses  were  led  along 
the  gravelly  paths,  and  coaxed  over  the  slabs  as  usual,  and  except 
for  the  absence  of  singing  amongst  the  carriers  (made  up  for  in 
some  respects  by  the  yells  of  the  Toff's),  and  for  the  frequent 
“ pop,  pop  ” of  the  rifles,  it  might  have  been  an  ordinary  march. 

As  I have  said  before,  the  great  question  had  been  whether 
the  people  of  ’Mbun  would  oppose  us  or  not,  for  we  had  to  pass 
through  their  village  again,  and  would  have  been  even  more 
exposed  to  attack  there  than  at  Toff*  since  the  defile  was  much 
narrower  and  deeper.  Great,  therefore,  was  our  relief  when 
we  saw  the  chief  and  others  with  whitened  faces  (their  “ white 
flag”)  coming  to  meet  us,  and  bringing  food.  Had  they  and  the 
people  of  the  villages  farther  on  fought,  it  is  a question  if  we 
should  ever  have  got  back  at  all,  for  our  ammunition  was  nearly 
exhausted  (we  had  but  47  rounds  left  per  man  out  of  the  original 
100),  and  we  were  forty  miles  from  any  tribes  we  could  depend 
upon,  and  even  these  might  have  risen  against  us  if  we  had  been 
already  defeated.  Our  horses  were  lame,  and  our  carriers  also, 
and  we  could  not  have  transported  any  badly  wounded  men. 
Luckily,  however,  we  were  not  called  upon  to  decide  the  question, 
for  the  people  of  ’Mbun  and  Toff*  were  hereditary  enemies,  and 
the  ’Mbuns  were  delighted  to  think  that  we  had  fought  on  their 
side,  so  we  slept  in  peace  and  quiet  that  night  and  reached 
Jemaan  Daroro  a few  days  later.  A patrol  of  100  men  with  a 
Maxim  gun  subdued  the  Toffs  during  the  following  year,  and  they 
did  not  have  as  much  fighting  as  we  had  had,  from  all  accounts. 
But  it  is  one  thing  to  go  out  with  the  intention  of  attacking  a 
tribe,  with  some  idea  of  its  size,  with  a knowledge  of  the  roads, 

88 


A BOUNDARY  COMMISSION 


and  with  plenty  of  ammunition ; it  is  a very  different  matter  to 
be  attacked  when  on  a peaceful  mission,  with  but  half  as  many 
men,  no  gun,  and  with  no  reserve  of  ammunition.  The  smaller 
the  force  the  greater  the  danger,  and  conversely,  the  less  chance 
there  is  of  obtaining  any  recognition  for  it. 

The  Toffs  were  adepts  in  the  art  of  taking  cover ; several  got 
up  quite  close  to  us  in  the  first  advance  without  our  seeing  them, 
and  they  made  a flank  attack  in  the  yam  field.  They  must  have 
been  well  directed  too,  for  if  we  concentrated  on  one  point,  they 
directed  their  attention  to  another.  The  arrows  were  plain  reeds, 
about  a yard  in  length,  with  long,  thin  points  (fashioned  so  as 
to  break  off  on  striking  the  target  and  remain  in  the  wound), 
poisoned  with  strophanthus  and  snake  virus,  I was  told.  I cannot 
understand  why  we  had  so  few  casualties;  we  found  sixty  arrows 
next  morning  in  the  square  (an  area  of  900  square  yards  perhaps), 
and  double  as  many  just  outside — I have  some  now — there  was 
no  shelter  of  any  kind,  and  we  were  a perfectly  plain  target. 
Most  of  us  had  at  least  one  arrow  within  a few  inches  of  some 
part  or  other  of  his  body,  but  yet  we  escaped  very  lightly. 
Arrows  would  drop  between  the  legs  or  arms  of  one  of  us 
when  kneeling  or  lying  down ; why  was  it  they  did  not  find  the 
flesh  ? The  lack  of  an  iron  head  probably  affected  the  accuracy 
of  the  shooting  to  some  extent,  but  the  range  of  flight  was  a long 
one,  as  on  one  face  the  Toffs  were  quite  200  yards  away  on  a little 
higher  ground,  and  yet  their  shafts  reached  the  square,  the  wind 
helping  them  to  some  extent,  no  doubt.  The  range  was  perfect ; 
they  simply  had  bad  luck,  I suppose — at  least,  we  should  call  it  so 
were  we  to  go  so  near  and  yet  so  far — though  my  sympathies  were 
not  at  all  with  them.  The  knives — like  machetes — were,  I suppose, 
imported ; had  the  Toffs  known  how  to  work  in  iron,  they  would 
assuredly  have  tipped  their  arrows,  and  have  used  spears  also. 

The  men  were  stark  naked  except  for  a little  basket-like  object 
resembling  those  worn  by  the  Gannawarri,  but  much  wider  in 
some  cases;  the  women,  I heard,  wore  leaves,  but  I did  not  see 
any  females,  and  except  for  the  fact  that  the  houses  were  very 
close  together,  I had  no  time  to  note  anything  of  anthropological 
interest. 


89 


A BOUNDARY  COMMISSION 

What  induced  the  Toffs  to  leave  the  road  open  I cannot  tell. 
Probably  they  thought  that  they  had  us  so  safely  that  we  could 
not  escape,  and  they  intended  to  finish  us  at  their  leisure  later 
on,  for  as  we  moved  off  we  saw  numbers  of  warriors  coming  over 
the  hills  from  neighbouring  towns,  whither  they  had  evidently 
returned  after  the  attack  of  the  previous  evening.  Signal  fires 
were  kept  burning  all  night,  and  drumming  was  continuous, 
while  now  and  then  there  would  be  sudden  bursts  of  yelling  and 
trumpet-blowing ; all  telling,  no  doubt,  of  the  mighty  deeds  done 
by  the  local  heroes  in  the  fight  that  day,  and  of  the  very  excellent 
use  the  white  men’s  skulls  would  be  put  to  on  the  morrow.  The 
subsequent  patrol  found  about  seventy  skulls  in  one  fetish  house, 
I believe ; I am  glad  none  of  ours  were  amongst  the  number, 
for  after  all,  one’s  head  is  quite  a useful  thing  to  keep,  both 
metaphorically  and  literally. 


90 


CHAPTER  VIII 


THE  TAILED  HEAD-HUNTERS 

ONE  of  my  first  experiences  of  the  warlike  Kagoro  tribe  was 
somewhat  startling.  I had  been  among  them  during  the 
previous  month,  on  my  return  from  my  trip  to  Zaria 
recorded  in  a later  chapter,  and  as  their  tribute  had  not  been 
coming  in  as  quickly  as  it  should  have  been  (some  being  more 
than  two  years  overdue),  I had  given  them  a slight  hint  that 
there  were  other  and  more  convincing  arguments  on  my  side  than 
mere  words — arguments,  the  strength  of  which  they  had  already 
had  some  experience.  While  I had  been  in  their  district  the 
people  had  paid  a small  proportion  of  the  arrears,  but  immediately 
I had  returned  to  my  headquarters  the  payments  ceased,  and 
so  I had  warned  them  that  I should  be  coming  for  more  at  some 
future  time. 

The  road  from  Jemaan  Daroro  is  steep  and  very  bad  in  places, 
for  the  ascent  from  the  bottom  of  the  cup  in  which  the  town  is 
situated  is  fairly  rapid,  and  as  I emerged  from  a path  in  thick 
bush  into  a clearing  near  the  village  of  Chanji,  there,  in  line, 
with  their  bows  at  full  stretch  and  poisoned  arrows  fitted,  were 
some  thirty  savages  advancing  towards  me.  I had  no  time  to  call 
my  little  escort  of  eleven  men  who  were  some  distance  behind  me, 
and  to  have  retired  would  have  been  fatal ; so  feeling  exceedingly 
nervous  myself,  I rode  up  and  told  them  not  to  be  afraid,  my 
orderly  calling  out  in  Hausa,  “It  is  peace.'”  I found  on  questioning 
them  that  they  were  out  after  “ small  game  ” only  ( i.e . mice  and 
rats),  so  we  were  soon  friends,  but  in  the  old  days,  in  fact  so  late 
as  five  years  ago,  had  a solitary  trader  met  a hunting  party  his 
skull  would  soon  have  decorated  a hut — and  even  while  I was 
there  some  women  were  the  victims  of  a temporary  absent- 

91 


THE  TAILED  HEAD-HUNTERS 

mindedness  on  the  part  of  a small  band  of  hunters — for  although 
mice  may  furnish  good  sport  at  times,  men  provide  much  better. 

Jemaan  Daroro  is  almost  in  the  centre  of  the  country  where 
the  industry  of  head-hunting  is  seen  in  its  most  flourishing  state. 
To  the  north  and  north-east  are  the  Kagoro,  Attakka,  Ganna- 
warri,  Moroa,  and  Katab  tribes,  and  towards  the  north-west  the 
Kajji  and  Jaba,  and  all  these  are  tailed.  Then  to  the  west  are 
the  Kagoma,  to  the  north-west  the  Kanninkwom  peoples,  both 
ardent  followers  of  the  sport  (shall  we  say  ?)  of  kings,  though 
innocent  of  the  caudal  appendage.  In  the  Bauchi  Province  to  the 
east  are  the  Karshe,  Kibbo,  and  other  tribes,  to  the  south  and 
south-east  the  Ayu,  Ninkada,  and  Nadu,  and  to  the  south  and 
south-west  the  Ninzam,  Waiwai,  Mada,  and  others.  Of  these  the 
Gannawarri  and  Nadu  are  known  to  be  cannibals,  but  I think 
that  none  of  the  others  eat  human  flesh  now,  although  it  is  quite 
possible  that  they  gave  way  to  the  luxury  in  earlier  times. 

Head-hunters  are  not  found  elsewhere  in  Northern  Nigeria 
to-day  so  far  as  I know,  except  in  continuation  of  the  Pagan  Belt 
in  the  Bauchi  province,  not  at  any  rate  in  such  numbers  as  are 
here  congregated,  though  there  are  cannibals  in  other  parts. 

The  Kagoro  occupy  part  of  the  north  and  west  faces  of  a 
ridge  of  steep,  high  mountains  running  from  the  Bauchi  into 
the  Nassarawa  province,  and  then  apparently  running  back  again. 
All  but  one  of  the  towns  which  I saw  are  built  at  the  foot  of 
the  ridge  (though  there  are  a few  villages  right  on  top  of  the 
plateau,  belonging  to  Ogban  and  Kukkum  probably,  which  have 
not  even  yet  been  visited),  and  nearly  all  are  defended  by  planted 
labyrinths  of  strong  prickly  euphorbia  hedges,  which  sometimes 
reach  a height  of  fifteen  or  even  twenty  feet,  but  there  are  no 
stockades  of  any  kind.  The  towns  with  the  approximate  popu- 
lations (based  purely  on  guess-work  in  most  cases,  any  strict 
mode  of  census-taking  being  entirely  out  of  the  question)  are  as 
follows,  enumerating  them  in  order  from  the  south : Tuku  Tozo 
(150),  Tuku  (150),  Jigya  or  Jigga  (150),  Tafa  and  Ungwal 
Giginnia  (300),  all  isolated  on  the  west  face  of  the  mountain 
spur.  Chanji  (200)  is  by  itself  on  the  main  road,  with  a few 
scattered  houses  nearer  the  mountains.  Then  on  the  north  side 

92 


The  tail  worn  by  most  of  these  women  is  shorter  and  thicker  than  that  in  favour  further  north.  The  woman  with  the  hair 
is  an  Attakka,  the  hair  being  probably  a sign  of  mourning.  See  p.  105. 


THE  TAILED  HEAD  HUNTERS 


of  the  range  come  the  biggest  towns,  all  adjoining  one  another, 
and  forming  a veritable  nest  of  savagery,  namely  Ogban  (1500), 
Kukkum  (1000),  Fada  Kagoro  (1500;  Fada  means  capital), 
Apak  (500),  Turap  (400),  Safwio  (200),  Duchui  (150),  and 
Kaderko  (150).  Opposite  Fada  Kagoro  is  Malagum  (500), 
while  Mafor  (100)  and  Makabbo  (100)  face  Duchui  and 
Kaderko  respectively,  these  three  towns  being  situated  on  a 
detached  hill  to  the  north  of  the  big  spur.  The  total  popula- 
tion is  therefore  about  7000,  but  this  estimate  is,  as  I have 
said  before,  only  very  approximate. 

The  Kagoro  say  that  they  came  long  ago  from  Bauchi  country 
westwards  to  Nimbia,  near  to  where  Jeinaan  Daroro  now  is — 
though  it  was  not  in  existence  at  that  time — and  from  Nimbia 
they  passed,  after  a short  stay,  to  the  site  of  the  present  Fada 
Kagoro,  the  leader  of  the  party  being  Apak,  after  whom  one  of 
the  towns  was  named.  There  they  found  the  ruins  of  the  habita- 
tion of  a former  forgotten  people,  perhaps  the  makers  of  the 
stone  axes  said  to  have  been  discovered  in  the  vicinity.  I have 
not  been  able  to  secure  any  such  implements  from  that  particular 
district,  but  I have  been  given  some  from  just  over  the  border, 
and  so  I have  no  doubt  that  the  accounts  of  similar  tools  having 
been  found  there  are  correct,  for  some  of  the  Kagoro  chiefs  on 
being  shown  some  axe-heads  said  that  they  knew  that  they  had 
been  made  by  the  splintering  of  rocks  by  lightning — a general 
belief  amongst  natives.  One,  however,  the  Agwam  (chief)  of 
Ogban,  said  that  one  of  them  was  an  axe,  and  this  was  very 
strange,  for  the  other  chiefs  all  swore  that  nothing  of  the  kind 
has  been  used  within  their  memory.  He,  however,  was  a good 
deal  older  than  the  others,  and  it  is  just  possible  that  he  knew 
that  stones  may  have  been  used  before  iron  became  available,  a 
metal  which  must  have  always  been  somewhat  difficult  to  obtain, 
for  the  ore  is  not  found  in  the  Kagoro  country,  and  only  Hausa 
blacksmiths  seem  able  to  work  it  when  brought  there. 

As  the  people  have  no  records  of  any  kind,  except  the  rather 
confused  accounts  of  which  the  foregoing  is  the  main  outline,  the 
story  of  their  origin  is  very  hard  to  prove  or  disprove.  One 
thing  which  supports  their  account — and  an  important  point 

93 


THE  TAILED  HEAD-HUNTERS 


too — is  that  in  the  towns  on  the  northern  side  of  the  mountain 
spur  the  sacred  groves  are  all  to  the  south,  and  the  people  look 
first  in  that  direction  when  performing  their  mystic  rites,  the 
reason  given  being  that  they  face  their  place  of  origin ; while  in 
those  towns  on  the  western  side  of  the  range  the  groves  are  to 
the  north,  and  these  towns  we  know  are  colonies  from  Fada 
Kagoro.  The  fact  that  the  northern  towns  are  the  oldest  seems 
to  be  rather  against  the  theory  that  the  people  worked  round 
from  the  south,  but  it  is  quite  possible  that  they  came  across  the 
top  of  the  spur  instead  of  around  it,  as  the  Attakka,  their  neigh- 
bours, have  done  since.  Dr.  Keane,  in  Man , Past  and  Present , 
mentions  a tribe  of  Kagoro,  and  the  similarity  of  the  name  is 
rather  striking,  but  his  people  are  a branch  of  the  Mande  family 
much  farther  to  the  west,  and  it  would  be  difficult  to  imagine 
that  there  could  be  any  connection  between  peoples  so  far  apart. 

Nothing  is  yet  known  of  the  languages  of  the  Bauchi  plateau, 
so  no  comparison  can  be  made,  but  it  is  worth  noting  that 
the  Kagoro  salutation  is  almost  the  same  as  theirs  {sham  or  sha ), 
though  the  tribes  do  not  visit  one  another,  and  also  all  are  head- 
hunters. And  the  fact  that  many  Ilausa  words  are  now  used  in 
the  Kagoro  vocabulary  (even  for  the  names  of  several  of  their 
towns)  does  not  militate  against  this,  for  that  great  trade  tongue 
is  spoken  everywhere,  and  there  have  been  for  a long  time  some 
blacksmiths  or  traders  or  others  amongst  them.  On  the  contrary, 
the  fact  supports  their  story,  for  tobacco  has  been  smoked  for 
many  years  in  the  north,  yet  the  Kagoro  did  not  know  of  it, 
their  adoption  of  the  Hausa  name  proving  that  it  must  have 
been  introduced  comparatively  recently. 

There  is,  however,  one  very  important  difference  that  should 
be  noted,  namely,  that  the  men  of  the  Bauchi  tribes  which  I 
saw  on  the  Nassarawa  border,  and  inhabiting  the  country  from 
which  the  Kagoro  claim  to  have  come,  wear  a peculiar  article  of 
dress  which  may  be  described  as  a “ case,1"1  and  do  not  circumcise, 
whereas  the  Kagoro  attire  themselves  quite  differently,  and  do 
mutilate  the  body.  No  doubt  there  are  many  other  differences 
also,  but  not  knowing  the  Bauchi  people,  I cannot  enumerate 
them. 


94 


THE  TAILED  HEAD-HUNTERS 


When  I first  saw  the  Kagoro,  Attakka,  Moroa,  Katab,  and 
Kajji  people,  I thought  that  they  must  all  be  descended  from  a 
common  stock,  since  their  tribal  marks  were  identical,  many 
of  their  customs  similar,  and  the  languages  appeared  much  alike 
— especially  those  of  the  Kagoro  and  Moroa — but  all  denied  this, 
and  gave  different  accounts  of  their  origin.  The  Kagoro,  as 
I have  said,  claim  to  have  come  from  the  south-east  and  then  from 
the  south;  whereas  the  Kajji,  Katab,  and  Moroa  say  that  they  came 
from  Zaria  to  the  north  and  north-west;  and  probably  none  of 
these  tribes  could  ever  have  been  powerful  enough  to  drive  the 
Kagoro  to  where  they  now  are,  for,  although  much  more  numer- 
ous, they  are  not  so  warlike.  The  Kajurawa  certainly  kept  the 
Kagoro  within  the  precincts  of  the  mountain  spur,  and  it  is  easier 
to  account  for  this  by  supposing  that  the  latter,  being  a strange 
and  small  tribe,  spread  gradually  around  the  base  or  over  the  top 
of  the  mountains,  than  by  presuming  that  they — evidently  the 
weaker,  since  they  paid  tribute — could  have  forced  their  way 
across  the  lower  portions  of  the  Kajuru  country. 

The  similarity  of  the  tribal  marks  is  said  to  be  due  to  the  fact 
that  about  two  generations  ago  the  Katab  had  a very  skilful 
operator  who  invented  the  pattern  (one  would  think  he  must 
have  charged  so  much  per  cut,  judging  by  the  number  of  them), 
and  that  people  of  the  surrounding  tribes  visiting  the  town  liked 
it  so  much  that  it  soon  became  universal.  Both  Kagoro  and 
Moroa  men  told  me  this,  and  the  chief  of  Jemaa  supported  the 
story,  so  possibly  it  is  true,  though  it  is  certainly  strange;  but  it 
must  have  been  more  than  two  generations  ago,  for  even  the 
oldest  men  have  now  the  universal  marks,  which,  they  say,  were 
done  in  their  youth. 

Peoples  of  the  same  origin  may  fight  each  other  — even 
different  members  of  a single  family  will  do  that — but  they 
never  keep  the  heads  of  their  victims  as  trophies  of  war,  though 
they  retain  those  of  their  enemies,  and,  even  if  taken  during 
the  actual  fighting,  they  are  given  back  to  the  dead  man’s 
relatives  to  be  buried  with  the  bodies  on  the  declaration  of 
peace.  If  this  were  not  done,  the  ghosts  of  the  victims  would 
have  to  serve  those  of  their  slayers  in  the  next  world,  and 

95 


THE  TAILED  HEAD-HUNTERS 

although  such  a condition  of  affairs  would  be  most  desirable  in 
the  case  of  war  with  an  enemy,  it  is  not  considered  good  form 
to  make  one’s  own  blood  relations  (or  should  I say  spirits?)  do 
such  work.  And  in  fact,  it  is  quite  possible  that  such  a ghost 
would  work  harm  rather  than  good  to  the  slayer,  since  it,  and 
only  it,  can  worry  any  of  its  living  relatives,  a ghost  of  a stranger 
being  harmless.  Now  the  Kagoro  did  take  and  keep  Kajji, 
Katab,  and  Moroa  heads,  but  not,  so  they  say,  those  of  the 
Attakka,  and  this  would  seem  to  show  that  there  was  originally 
no  connection  between  the  first  four  tribes ; later  on,  however, 
the  Kagoro  and  Katab  swore  an  agreement  to  restore  heads 
if  they  should  have  war  and  any  should  be  taken,  and  they 
say  that  the  terms  were  carried  out  on  the  few  occasions  on 
which  they  came  into  conflict  afterwards. 

Finally,  the  Attakka  even  now  occupy  the  hills  above  Nimbia, 
and  their  villages  are  built  in  a way  similar  to  that  adopted  by 
the  Kagoro,  though  rather  higher  up  the  slope ; while  the  Moroa, 
Kajji,  and  Katab  inhabit  the  plains  ; so  I should  say  that  the 
Kagoro  and  Attakka  both  came  from  the  south  and  before  that 
from  the  east,  and  that  they  probably  had  a common  origin,  while 
the  other  tribes  came  from  the  north  or  west,  though  there  was 
most  likely  no  connection  between  the  Kajji  and  Moroa,  even  if 
the  Katab  were  related  to  either  one  or  the  other. 

It  is  said  that  when  the  Kagoro  first  came  to  the  country 
which  they  now  inhabit  they  did  not  know  the  use  of  the  bow  and 
arrow,  and  that  they  had  only  wooden  spears,  shields,  and  slings. 
And  this  is  possibly  correct,  for  the  chief  of  Jemaan  Daroro  told 
me  that  the  Attakka  had  learned  the  use  of  arrow  poison  from  the 
Kibbo  (Bauchi)  only  about  twenty-five  years  ago,  and  that  they 
had  then  taught  the  Kagoro.  This  seems  to  argue  both  for  and 
against  the  theory  of  origin  from  the  south  and  east,  for  whereas 
the  Toffs  use  even  now  only  arrows  with  wooden  points,  and  the 
Gannawarri  do  not  use  the  bow  and  arrow  at  all,  the  Kagoro 
might  have  been  expected  to  have  brought  the  know  ledge  of  the 
power  of  poisons  with  them  unless  discovered  only  after  their 
departure.  The  country  was  so  overrun  with  wild  beasts  at  the 
time  of  their  arrival  that  thev  had  to  live  underground,  so  the 

96 


THE  TAILED  HEAD-HUNTERS 


legend  goes,  and  make  tunnels  to  their  farms,  and  this  makes  one 
suspect  that  they  were  to  some  extent  troglodytes,  or  cave- 
dwellers,  like  the  Nadu  to  the  south ; in  fact,  they  still  have 
caves  where  they  store  their  food,  and  which  they  use  as  hiding- 
places  when  attacked,  though  they  do  not  improve  them  in 
any  way. 

For  a long  time  they  were  ruled  by  councils  of  elders,  or  heads 
of  families;  but  having  been  conquered  by  the  Kajurawa,  and 
forced  to  pay  tribute,  they  determined  to  elect  a chief,  or  agwam , 
to  supervise  the  payment.  There  had  been  desultory  fighting 
between  these  peoples  for  many  years  without  any  decisive  result 
on  either  side ; but  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  years  ago,  so 
far  as  I can  calculate  from  the  lengths  of  the  reigns  given  me,  the 
Kajurawa  demanded  a regular  annual  payment,  and  the  Kagoro 
were  not  strong  enough  to  resist.  Possibly  the  Filani  were  respon- 
sible in  some  degree,  for  their  herds  had  begun  to  enter  the  rich 
Moroa  and  Kagoro  country,  and  the  Kajuwara  protected  them  in 
return  for  the  levies  of  cattle  described  in  the  last  chapter  but 
one.  At  any  rate,  two  slaves  per  annum  had  been  asked  for,  and 
the  Kagoro  in  despair  called  a meeting  of  all  the  elders  to  con- 
sider what  should  be  done. 

Apparently  no  satisfactory  solution  of  the  problem  had  been 
found,  each  elder  refusing  to  give  up  his  own  offspring  for  the 
good  of  the  State,  when  a youth,  Gundong,  said  that  he  would 
supply  the  slaves  if  he  were  made  chief ; and  this  having  been 
agreed  to,  he  struck  a silk-cotton  tree  with  his  stick,  and  im- 
mediately two  young  slaves  appeared,  a male  and  a female,  who 
were  given  as  tribute.  A somewhat  simpler  explanation  occurred 
to  me,  knowing  their  gentle  habits,  namely,  that  something  more 
human  than  a cotton-tree  was  struck  with  the  stick,  and  that  this 
was  the  commencement  of  the  capture  of  passing  strangers,  an 
exciting  and  lucrative  pursuit  which  has  been  stopped  only  during 
the  last  three  or  four  years,  and  even  now  there  are  little  lapses  at 
times.  In  fact,  the  Kagoro  say  that  before  that  time  they  were 
not  head-hunters,  nor  had  they  any  slaves. 

Gundong  was  thus  the  first  agwam , and  he  is  said  to  have 
reigned  fifty  vears,  the  magic  cotton  tree,  as  one  would  expect, 

97  g 


THE  TAILED  HEAD-HUNTERS 

withering  and  dying  on  the  day  of  his  death.  His  brother  Bishut 
followed,  and  lived  for  another  forty  years,  and  this  is  rather 
hard  to  reconcile  until  one  remembers  that  it  is  quite  possible 
that  Gundong  was  born  when  his  father  was  eighteen  (Kagoro 
marry  much  younger),  and  Bishut,  by  a different  mother,  when  he 
was  fifty.  But  a wild  pagan’s  idea  of  even  the  present  time  is, 
to  say  the  least,  hazy,  and  of  the  past  quite  valueless,  and  it  was 
only  by  finding  out  which  of  the  Kagoro  chiefs  fought  against 
certain  of  the  Jemaa  chiefs,  whose  dates  could  be  determined 
fairly  definitely,  that  any  approach  to  accuracy  could  be  made. 

After  Bishut’s  death  there  was  an  interregnum  for  several 
years,  Jigya  or  Jigga  (the  name  seems  to  be  pronounced  in  both 
ways)  usurping  the  power,  and  playing  the  part  of  a tyrant  for 
some  time,  but  he  was  expelled  in  the  end  and  driven  to  the 
south,  where  he  founded  a village. 

The  people  then  appealed  to  the  chief  of  Jemaan  Daroro  to 
choose  a chief,  as  they  could  not  agree  among  themselves,  and 
each  town  was  fighting  its  neighbour,  a somewhat  strange  pro- 
ceeding, for  the  Kagoro  and  the  Jemaa  people  have  been 
enemies  for  generations.  Bishut’s  son,  Mungu,  was  appointed, 
but  he  died  seven  years  afterwards,  and  was  succeeded  by  Kaka,  his 
brother,  the  present  ruler,  who  was  recognised  by  the  Govern- 
ment in  1905,  and  appointed  District  Headman,  or  “D.H.M.,” 
as  it  appears  in  the  records.  These  chiefs  were  in  no  way  subject 
to  the  Filani,  although  they  had  asked  the  chief  of  Jemaan 
Daroro  to  choose  their  agwam , for  although  the  Jemaa  people, 
with  Zaria’s  help,  defeated  the  Kagoro  on  several  occasions,  they 
also  suffered  some  reverses,  and  never  succeeded  in  subduing 
them  nor  in  making  them  pay  tribute. 

After  Gundong  had  given  his  slaves,  the  head  of  each  family 
took  it  in  turn  to  provide  the  annual  contribution,  and  if  no 
stranger  were  available,  would  seize  even  his  own  grand-children 
and  hand  them  over — children  do  not  count  for  much  in  times  of 
danger  or  famine.  They  have  now  been  roughly  assessed,  and 
most  of  the  towns  have  paid  tribute  to  the  Government  direct,  but 
the  chief  of  Jemaa  was  not  given  the  position  of  suzerain, 
for  he  had  been  unable  to  conquer  them  before  our  arrival. 

98 


THE  TAILED  HEAD-HUNTERS 

On  Kaka’s  death  his  successor  will  be  chosen  by  the  people, 
and  confirmed  or  rejected  by  us,  and  he  will  be  a man,  for 
only  males  are  eligible,  females  being  considered  incapable  of 
any  posts  of  authority.  The  agzvarn  of  Fada  Kagoro  takes 
one-tenth  of  the  total  to  compensate  him  for  the  trouble  of 
collecting  it,  the  chief  of  each  separate  town  taking  a smaller 
proportion,  and  as  the  chiefs  of  such  independent  tribes  seldom 
have  very  much  power  over  their  people,  and  are  always  liable  to 
abuse  and  ill-treatment  on  such  occasions,  he  does  not  get  over- 
paid. The  incidence  on  the  Kagoro  general  public  is  about  l|d. 
per  head  per  adult,  not  exactly  a ruinous  tax  compared  with 
what  we  have  the  pleasure  and  privilege  of  paying  in  England. 

The  Katab  to  the  north  of  the  Kagoro  are  mostly  in  the 
Zaria  province,  only  one  town  being  within  the  Nassarawa 
boundary ; they  are  said  to  have  originated  in  Kachicherri, 
north  of  Moroa.  “There  is  a big  rock,  the  Dutsin  Kerrima, 
where  sorcery  was  practised,”  I was  told,  “ cattle  being  sacri- 
ficed there  long  ago.  The  demons  [aljen  was  the  word  used, 
from  the  Arabic]  are  very  powerful,  and  sacred  earth  is  taken 
from  the  rock  by  the  Filani,  and  mixed  with  potash  as  a medicine 
for  their  cattle.  Years  ago,  A wud  u,  chief  of  Zaria,  when  engaged 
in  a war,  which  ended  in  the  conquest  of  the  Katab  country,  gave 
the  people  a black  bull  to  sacrifice  on  the  advice  of  his  mallams 
— and  yet  he  was  himself  a Mohammedan  priest.  Even  now  on 
Sunday  and  Friday  nights  the  hill  is  luminous,  and  ghostly  white 
cattle  mount  on  top  of  the  rock  and  walk  about,  tended  by  a 
white  Filani  girl.1'*  I suppose  the  mountain  is  a volcano,  and  the 
appearance  of  steam  at  intervals  has  given  rise  to  this  myth ; and 
there  is  probably  some  potash  in  the  earth ; but  why  the 
phenomenon  appears  on  a Sunday  I do  not  know,  though  the 
Mohammedan  influence  might  account  for  the  Friday  night 
performances. 

The  Kajji  (also  spelt  Kaje,  though  this  gives  no  idea  of  the 
pronunciation)  claim  descent  from  the  north-west ; they  are 
thoroughly  under  control.  Their  immediate  neighbours  to 
the  north  and  west  are  the  Jaba,  with  whom  they  seem  to 
have  much  in  common  ; in  fact,  they  once  lived  on  the  land 

99 


THE  TAILED  HEAD-HUNTERS 

now  occupied  by  the  Jaba  tribe.  The  migration  must  have 
been  quite  recent,  for  Canon  Robinson,  writing  in  1894,  and 
describing  a journey  from  Keffi  (or  as  he  more  correctly  spells 
it  Kaffi , i.e.  “ Stockade,”  and  so  “ stockaded  town  ”),  said  that 
the  inhabitants  of  this  district,  many  of  whom  wore  no  clothes 
of  any  kind,  whilst  others  were  content  with  a girdle  of  leaves, 
were  a most  degraded  and  unintelligent-looking  set  of  people. 
According  to  the  statement  of  his  carriers  (never  a very 
reliable  source  of  information,  I fear,  in  such  matters),  many 
of  them  were  cannibals.  Near  Zaria,  his  route  for  about  fifty 
miles  lay  through  the  land  of  the  Keddara  tribe ; but  prior  to 
this  his  advance  had  been  through  the  country  of  the  “ Kedje,” 
who  for  the  most  part  were  professional  brigands.  The  Kajji 
still  indulge  in  these  little  failings  when  possible,  and  I very 
much  doubt  if  they  have  yet  been  cured  of  them. 

South  of  the  Kajji  are  the  Kagoma,  but  the  tail-bearing  ends 
at  the  border,  for  the  Kagoma,  the  Kanninkwom,  and  the  people 
south  of  them,  wear  little  strips  of  cloth  instead.  The  Kagoma 
claim  descent  from  the  west,  and  are  not  connected  with  the 
Kagoro  in  any  way,  but  their  houses  are  almost  identical,  and, 
by  the  way,  that  reminds  me  of  another  point  worth  mentioning. 
The  houses  of  the  Kagoro  and  Attakka  on  the  west  and  south 
faces  of  the  mountain  spur  are  conical,  like  those  of  the  pagans 
nearer  their  supposed  place  of  origin,  while  those  in  the  big 
towns  to  the  north  resemble  those  of  the  Kajji  and  Moroa  type, 
and,  considering  the  fact  that  the  building  of  the  Kagoma  and 
Kajji  houses  far  surpasses  the  best  the  Kagoro  can  do,  I think 
it  is  quite  probable  that  this  peculiar  plan  came  from  the  west, 
and  that  the  Kagoro  were  not  accustomed  to  building  in  that 
way. 

To  the  west  of  the  Kagoma  are  the  Yeskwa,  to  the  south  the 
Mada,  their  neighbours  to  the  east  being  the  Ninzam  and 
Waiwai.  Then  come  the  Ayu  who  claim  descent  from  the  Hausa 
town  of  Katsina  (as  many  English  people  do  from  Normandy), 
the  Kibbo  on  the  Bauchi  border,  while  to  the  north  of  the  Ayu 
are  the  Karshe  people,  a rather  weak  and  unwarlike  tribe,  one  of 
whose  towns,  Nimbia,  has  been  mentioned  before.  Some  Attakka 

100 


THE  TAILED  HEAD-HUNTERS 

live  quite  close  to  it  even  now,  though  their  biggest  towns  are  right 
across  the  spur  and  on  the  north  side  of  it  as  is  the  case  with  the 
Kagoro. 

The  Attakka,  their  immediate  neighbours  to  the  east,  were  not 
under  control  in  my  time,  and  I was  therefore  unable  to  find  out 
anything  about  them  at  first  hand.  A patrol  visited  the  country 
and  subdued  the  tribe  just  after  I had  left  in  1909,  but  I do  not 
think  that  they  have  been  studied  as  yet.  They  are  head-hunters 
like  the  Kagoro,  they  dress  in  the  same  way,  and  their  customs 
are  said  to  be  similar ; they  are  the  pot-makers  of  the  district. 
They  probably  number  about  seven  thousand,  and  live  in  towns 
on  the  north  and  south  faces  of  the  mountain  spur. 

The  Gannawarri  have  now  been  placed  under  the  Resident  of 
Bauchi,  and,  as  they  were  not  under  control  in  1908-9  nor  in  my 
district,  I was  unable  to  visit  any  of  their  towns,  though  I went 
a little  way  into  their  country  to  settle  a quarrel.  They  are 
cannibals,  and  nearly  naked,  but  the  little  attire  they  do  wear 
differs  markedly  from  that  of  the  Attakka  and  Moroa,  their 
westerly  neighbours.  They  have  not  even  yet  been  thoroughly 
subdued,  and  no  tribute  was  being  paid  by  them  when  I was  there, 
their  refusal  to  pay  inciting  the  Attakka  to  do  likewise,  these 
people  in  turn  urging  the  Kagoro  to  resist  the  tax. 

The  Moroa  people  say  that  their  ancestors  came  from  Zaria 
country  to  Kafanchan  (north  of  Jemaan  Daroro),  and  from  there 
Enniluchwi  and  his  wife  went  east  and  founded  Chori,  or  Ungwal 
Tukunia,  some  time  before  the  Filani  came  to  the  country — about 
1730  as  near  as  I can  make  it.  Enniluchwi  was  the  father  of  all 
the  Moroa,  and  he  reached  the  very  respectable  age  of  one 
hundred  years — how  we  all  love  to  regard  our  ancestors,  mythical 
or  real,  as  hoary  patriarchs  ! After  him  came  Yakwu(r)rum  of 
Babban  Gidda  who  ruled  for  ten  years,  then  in  order,  Daudu  of 
Mansha,  eight  years ; Rubu,  ten  years ; Unkwommakai,  fifteen 
years ; Dawiya  of  Chori,  fifty  years  (deposed)  ; and  lastly  Abomong 
of  Mansha,  now  eight  years,  the  present  D.H.M.  recognised  by 
the  Government. 

The  Moroa  country  is  open  and  very  rich,  most  of  the  visible 
area  being  under  cultivation  at  some  time  or  other.  In  the  dry 

101 


THE  TAILED  HEAD-HUNTERS 

season  I can  hardly  imagine  a more  pleasant  spot  to  live  in,  and 
were  it  easily  accessible  I should  spend  many  a week-end  there. 
The  great  blue  mountains  looming  up  on  the  south,  the  Kaduna 
river  flowing  away  to  the  north-west  through  the  harmattan’s 
haze,  the  herds  of  cattle  contentedly  eating  the  new  green  grass 
springing  up  amongst  the  brown  stubble  burnt  off  at  the  ends  of 
the  rains,  the  little  sienna  villages  nestling  amongst  the  tall  dum- 
palms,  form  a picture  which  I can  never  forget.  I was  struck  with 
the  beauty  of  the  Kagoro  country  on  my  first  visit,  but  the  land 
of  the  Moroa  is  even  more  lovely,  and  through  the  haze  over  all 
I felt  that  throbbing  heat,  that  panting  indefinable  “ something  ” 
which  gives  the  West  African  countries  their  charm. 


102 


CHAPTER  IX 


“HEADS  AND  TAILS” 

IT  is  rather  strange  that  the  Kagoro,  Attakka,  Moroa,  Katab, 
Kajji,  and  Jaba  tribes  should  be  noted  for  their  fondness 
for  tails  as  well  as  for  heads ; the  former  being  prized  by  the 
matrons,  the  latter  being  eagerly  sought  by  the  men. 

The  chiefs  who  have  been  recognised  by  the  Government  now 
wear  Hausa  robes,  in  accordance  with  our  instructions,  made  from 
the  native  cotton,  and  purchased  from  the  traders ; but  no  other 
Kagoro  wears  cotton  of  any  kind,  though  many  Kajji  men  do 
if  they  can  afford  it,  and  so  do  Jaba  and  Moroa,  though  to  a 
less  extent.  But  even  amongst  the  Kagoro  chiefs  themselves, 
these  robes  are  not  very  popular.  I could  never  persuade  Makka, 
the  chief  of  Chanji,  to  don  one — for  the  reason,  I found  after- 
wards, that  he  had  sold  it  for  palm-wine — and  Kaka,  the 
only  wore  his  when  I was  in  his  town,  or  when  he  came  to  visit 
me  at  Jemaan  Daroro.  I do  not  think  that  any  of  these  robes 
were  ever  washed,  and  but  few  of  the  bodies  of  the  wearers  either; 
and  sometimes,  when  measuring  heads,  I had  to  squirt  eau-de- 
cologne  up  my  nose  before  I could  get  near  them,  although  I had 
even  then  lost  nearly  all  my  sense  of  smell — but  some  of  these 
people  would  have  set  up  a commotion  in  the  mucous  mem- 
brane of  a mummy ! 

All  males  of  these  six  tribes  wear  a leather  triangular  loin- 
covering after  they  have  reached  the  age  of  six  or  eight,  and 
possibly  even  earlier  if  the  father  happens  to  have  skins  to  spare. 
Moroa  and  Kajji  men  sometimes  wear  cotton  loin-cloths  instead 
of  leather,  like  those  of  the  Hausawa,  who  always  have  them  even 
under  their  loose  trousers.  Another  skin  may  be  worn  over  the 
shoulders  as  a cape,  the  two  front  legs  being  tied  together 
to  serve  as  a cord,  and  enabling  it  to  be  shifted  to  the  one 

103 


“HEADS  AND  TAILS” 


side  of  the  body  or  the  other  according  to  whichever  is  exposed  to 
the  wind  or  the  rain.  Both  these  articles  of  clothing  are  made  of 
goat  or  sheep  skin,  which  is  cured  by  being  stretched  out  on  the 
ground  by  means  of  pegs,  the  meat  being  scraped  off,  and  a 
preparation,  which  sometimes  includes  ash,  being  rubbed  in  to 
kill  the  germs.  There  is,  apparently,  no  softening  process  used 
in  connection  with  the  skins  worn  around  the  shoulders,  for 
the  hair  is  retained,  and  they  are  as  hard  as  boards;  but  those 
for  the  loins  are  greased  to  some  extent,  and  have  the  hair 
removed,  but  they  get  stiff  very  quickly  if  unused.  There  is 
no  regimental  nor  society  tailor,  the  skins  being  prepared  by 
the  wearers  themselves  generally,  or  by  their  fathers  in  the  cases 
of  young  boys. 

Girls  from  three  to  four  years  of  age  until  married  wear  the 
ivy  an,  a picture-hook  shaped  girdle  of  loose  native  strands  of 
string,  not  plaited  nor  twisted  in  any  way,  which  is  fitted  round 
the  body  a little  lower  than  the  waist,  a long  end  passing  from 
the  front  between  the  legs,  and  meeting  the  girdle  again  at  the 
small  of  the  back,  where  it  is  tied.  This  is  said  to  be  an  absolute 
sign  of  virginity,  and  judging  from  the  strictness  with  which 
the  females  are  looked  after,  and  the  early  age  at  which  they 
are  married,  I should  say  that  the  badge  is  in  nearly  every  case 
a correct  one. 

Instead  of  the  girdle,  married  women  wear  a tail  behind, 
which  has  various  names  according  to  whether  it  is  decorated 
or  not,  but  is  in  its  most  primitive  form  called  kunnok , and  this 
is  in  shape  something  like  a mushroom,  some  being  long  and 
thin,  others  being  short  and  stumpy.  It  is  made  of  a palm 
fibre,  very  tightly  drawn  together  and  bound  with  string,  and, 
except  in  the  southern  Kagoro  towns,  there  is  a wider  wheel- 
shaped end,  plaited  like  basket-work,  the  whole  being  left  quite 
plain,  or  coloured  red  with  earth  to  match  the  wearer’s  body. 
The  next  step  in  ornamentation  in  some  parts  is  a row  or  two  of 
beads  around  the  edge  of  the  “ wheel,”  and  brass  wire  may  be 
bound  around  the  “ stalk  ” or  “ axle  ” of  the  kunnok , or  it  may 
be  covered  with  sheet  brass.  Finally,  the  under-surface  of  the 
“ wheel  ” may  be  decorated  with  coloured  glass  beads  in  a more 

104 


Kajji  Chiefs 

The  man  on  the  left  is  a dwarf ; his  beard  is  tied  with  grass,  which  is  prolonged  and  hangs  down  upon  his  chest.  _ This  was 
probably  copied  from  the  Kagoma,  the  neighbouring  tribe  to  the  south.  The  next  man  was  a very  troublesome  person,  being  always 
“ against  the  Government.”  Note  the  cowrie-shells  on  the  strings  of  the  loin-covering  of  the  right-hand  man. 


“ HEADS  AND  TAILS  ” 


or  less  regular  pattern,  and  the  two  strings  binding  the  tail  to 
the  waist  may  be  thus  adorned  also.  The  brass  is  bought  from 
the  Hausawa ; the  beads,  obtained  through  them  or  other  traders 
from  the  Niger  Company,  are  strung  on  a thread  and  then  stuck 
on  with  liquid  rubber,  of  which  there  is  a good  deal  in  the 
country ; they  are  not  sewn  in  any  way.  The  fancy  bead  patterns 
were  probably  invented  by  the  Jaba ; I have  seen  none  amongst 
the  tribes  farther  to  the  east,  but  the  brass  wire  is  used  to  some 
extent.  In  Tuku  and  Tuku  Tozo,  the  tail  resembles  a cow-bell 
more  than  a mushroom,  there  being  no  axle  or  wheel,  and  there  is 
but  little  decoration  with  beads,  and  none  with  brass,  though  the 
women  use  beads  in  much  greater  profusion  for  bracelets,  necklets, 
and  anklets.  I was  told  that  a tiny  iron  bell  was  sometimes  worn 
above  the  tail,  but  I do  not  know  under  what  circumstances, 
nor  did  I see  one. 

When  a girl  has  been  married,  her  mother  removes  her 
girdle,  and  a small  branch  or  bunch  of  leaves  is  hung  in  front 
to  the  string  around  the  waist  which  supports  the  tail  behind. 
Many  women — especially  when  old  apparently — wear  leaves  both 
fore  and  aft,  though  this  is  not  compulsory ; but  those  in  front, 
plus  the  tail  behind,  are  the  sign  of  marriage.  At  certain  times, 
such  as  dances  and  feasts,  leaves  may  be  worn  by  young  girls  also, 
and  this  possibly  corresponds  in  some  degree  to  our  own  children 
taking  grown-up  characters  at  fancy-dress  balls;  or  there  may  be 
some  religious  reason. 

No  woman  of  these  tribes  would  dare  to  attire  herself  in  any 
other  but  the  prescribed  fashion,  though  the  only  punishment 
which  would  be  inflicted  is  the  disapproval  of  her  own  people. 
This,  however,  is  a very  serious  thing  in  such  savage  communities, 
and  the  differences  in  the  adornment  and  shape  of  the  tail 
seem  to  be  the  only  variations  allowed,  and  even  these  are  con- 
fined within  fairly  strict  limits.  The  late  Lieutenant  Boyd 
Alexander  mentions  these  tails  in  his  From  the  Niger  to  the  Nile , 
though  the  statement  46  when  the  ornament  is  encased  in  brass  it 
denotes  virginity,1”  is  not  quite  correct.  He  also  relates  that  the 
Yergum  say  of  the  Gazum  people  that  they  have  tails  about  six 
inches  long,  for  which  they  have  to  dig  a hole  when  they  sit  down. 

105 


“HEADS  AND  TAILS” 


The  women  of  the  Keddara  tribe  wear  a tail  of  loose  string 
like  a tassel,  while  Gannawarri  females  sport  a number  of  large 
iron  rings  in  front  which  clank  loudly  as  they  walk.  The 
Kagoma  girls  wear  a small  apron  of  string,  sometimes  dyed 
green  and  ornamented  with  cowries,  while  the  adult  women 
of  nearly  all  the  remaining  tribes  in  the  vicinity  wear  short 
pieces  of  cloth,  though  the  bunches  of  leaves  are  seen  right  down 
to  Wase  in  the  Muri  province. 

The  tail  worn  by  the  women  of  the  Kagoro,  Moroa,  and  other 
head-hunting  tribes  is  probably  a survival  of  a phallic  cult, 
though  I doubt  if  any  connection  would  be  now  recognised  by 
the  people  themselves,  and  it  is  interesting  to  remember  that 
“ tales  of  tailed  tribes  ” have  sprung  up  from  all  quarters  of  the 
globe.  After  all,  Englishmen  should  not  be  very  much  astonished 
by  them,  since  they  themselves  were  once  accused  of  being 
blessed  (or  cursed)  with  caudal  appendages.  Mr.  Boyle  says 
that  he  has  found  legends  of  the  phenomena  in  Abyssinia, 
Borneo,  the  Amazon  region,  Paraguay,  China,  Guiana,  Persia, 
and  the  Sudan,  and  there  are  tales  of  tails  in  the  New  Guinea, 
as  well  as  in  the  old.  Sometimes  the  caudati  have  been  long 
and  prehensile,  sometimes  short  and  stiff,  as  with  the  Gazum 
related  above,  and  as  with  certain  divisions  of  the  Mada  and 
Nadu  tribes  who  tell  the  story  about  each  other.  And  where 
the  people  are  sufficiently  advanced  to  sit  on  seats  instead  of  on 
the  ground,  holes  are  bored  in  these  seats,  it  is  said,  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  appendages,  while  their  less  civilised 
brethren  have  to  carry  sticks  to  make  a suitable  place  in  the 
ground.  Again,  it  is  sometimes  said  that  the  wearers  cannot 
even  lie  on  their  backs. 

Professor  Tylor  says  that  various  reasons  have  led  to  the 
growth  of  the  legends  describing  human  beings  with  tails  like 
beasts,  and,  to  people  who  regard  monkeys  and  savages  as  closely 
connected,  the  reason  is  fairly  evident.  The  satyr  was  frequently 
depicted  as  a half-human  creature,  sometimes  in  a form  like  that 
of  an  anthropoid  ape,  and  in  East  Africa  and  elsewhere,  the 
imaginary  tribes  of  tailed  men  were  often  also  monkey-faced. 
He  advises  ethnologists,  who  meet  in  any  district  with  the  story 

106 


“HEADS  AND  TAILS” 


of  tailed  men,  to  look  for  a despised  race  of  aborigines,  outcasts, 
or  heretics,  living  near  or  among  a dominant  population  who 
look  upon  them  as  beasts,  and  furnish  them  with  tails  accordingly. 
In  Spain,  he  says,  the  mediaeval  superstition  still  survives  that 
Jews  have  tails  like  the  devil — I suppose  the  fear  and  hatred 
of  Satan  accounts  for  our  supplying  him  also  with  this 
appendage. 

In  England,  Professor  Tylor  continues,  the  idea  was  turned 
to  profit  by  priests,  who  claimed  that  the  men  who  had  insulted 
St.  Augustine  and  St.  Thomas  of  Canterbury  grew  tails  sub- 
sequently. Bishop  Bale  writes  that  44  for  castynge  of  fyshe  tayles 
at  thys  Augustyne,  Dorsett  Shyre  menne  hadde  tayles  ever  after 
[which  seems  rather  hard  on  the  Dorsets],  but  Polydorus 
applieth  it  unto  Kentish  men  at  Stroud  by  Rochester,  for 
cuttinge  of  Thomas  Becket’s  horses  tail.”  In  the  first  case, 

fishes’  tails  grew  on  the  men ; in  the  second,  appendages  like 
those  of  horses,  and  as  Becket  excommunicated  the  men  of 
Rochester  (who  plundered  his  baggage  when  fleeing  from  the 
King,  and  really  did  cut  off*  his  horses’  tails),  this  story  was 
spread  by  the  Church  throughout  Europe  so  assiduously  that, 
as  Bishop  Bale  says  further  on,  44  thus  hath  England  in  all  other 
land  a perpetuall  infamy  of  tayles  by  theyr  wrytten  legends  of 
lyes,  yet  can  they  not  well  tell  where  to  bestowe  them  truely.” 
And  again,  44  An  Englyshman  now  cannot  travayle  in  an  other 
land,  by  way  of  merchandyse  or  any  other  honest  occupyinge,  but 
it  is  most  contumeliously  thrown  in  his  tethe  that  all  Englyshmen 
have  tailes.” 

This  story,  says  Professor  Tylor,  at  last  became  a common 
slander  between  shire  and  shire,  and  Devonians  believed  that 
Cornishmen  had  tails  until  quite  recently.  Amongst  many 
savages  there  is  a belief  that  human  beings  once  had  tails,  and 
in  Brazil  it  is  related  of  a certain  tribe  that  a father-in-law, 
after  his  daughter’s  marriage,  would  cut  a wooden  stick  with  a 
flint,  imagining  by  this  symbolic  ceremony  that  he  was  severing 
the  tails  of  future  grandchildren,  and  thus  securing  that  they 
should  be  born  tailless. 

But  as  regards  Englishmen,  says  Mr.  Boyle,  it  was  not 

107 


“HEADS  AND  TAILS” 


supposed  they  had  been  created  there  originally,  but  that  the 
growth  of  the  appendages  was  a direct  result  of  the  ecclesiastical 
curse.  King  Richard  Coeur  de  Lion  is  related  to  have  been 
roused  to  the  storming  of  Messina  and  the  massacre  that  ensued 
by  the  taunts  of  the  Greeks  and  Sicilians,  who  greeted  him  and 
his  men  with  cries  of  “tailed  Englishmen,”  while  a century 
later  similar  insults  made  the  Earl  of  Salisbury  withdraw  with 
his  force  from  Damietta,  apparently  to  the  great  satisfaction  of 
the  “ noble  Frenchmen,”  who  were  not  at  all  anxious  to  have 
any  men  with  appendages  and  under  the  curse  of  the  Church  as 
allies.  Even  at  Bannockburn  the  Scots  are  said  to  have  sung 
songs  about  the  tailed  Englishmen,  a fact  which  may  strike  one 
as  very  strange  nowadays,  considering  that  the  Scots  were 
regarded  as  being  barbarians,  and  far  below  the  level  of  their 
brethren  south  of  the  Tweed  in  civilisation. 

However,  whether  the  ornaments  worn  by  the  Kagoro  and 
other  women  are  the  result  of  a curse,  or  are  a survival — as  I 
suspect — of  a peculiar  cult,  it  was  most  interesting  to  find  people 
with  them,  and  I was  able  to  obtain  a selection.  They  are  not 
sacred  to  their  wearers,  and  if  they  die,  the  tails  will  be  passed 
on  to  other  members  of  the  family. 

The  men  wear  loin-coverings  of  leather  or  cloth,  but  they 
are  in  many  districts  copying  the  garments  of  the  Filani  and 
Hausawa  which  are  so  well  known  as  to  hardly  require  any 
description  here. 

No  head-covering  is  worn  by  either  sex,  but  a cape,  resembling 
in  shape  the  sack  with  one  side  cut  open  worn  by  coal-heavers 
in  England,  may  be  made  of  palm  leaves  for  protection  against 
the  rain.  This  may  have  been  copied  from  those  made  by  the 
Hausawa,  for  their  name  for  it,  kabiddo,  is  often  used,  but  it 
is  quite  possible  that  the  cape  is  purely  a local  invention,  as 
the  Ninzams  have  a kind  of  immense  three-cornered  grass  hat 
which  is  used  for  a similar  purpose.  These  are  worn  only  by 
men,  and  are  but  very  seldom  seen  even  on  them ; none  of  the 
women  of  any  of  these  tribes  cover  their  heads,  and  no  persons 
of  either  sex  have  any  protection  for  hands  or  feet,  although 
most  pagan  women  adopt  them  readily  enough  if  married  to  or 

108 


Hair-Dressing  Extraordinary 


“ HEADS  AND  TAILS  ” 


enslaved  by  Filani  or  Hausawa  in  Jemaan  Daroro,  where  large 
and  small  hats  and  caps,  and  long  boots,  slippers,  and  sandals 
of  beautifully  worked  leather,  or  of  wood,  are  fairly  plentiful. 

No  special  badges  of  rank  are  worn  by  either  sex,  not  even  by 
leaders  during  war  time.  Youths  may  dress  their  hair,  but  adult 
men  and  women  and  girls  shave  their  heads.  With  the  Kagoro 
and  Kajji  (and  probably  with  the  other  tribes  too,  though  I have 
not  seen  any  examples),  most  males  up  to  the  age  of  about 
eighteen  or  twenty  allow  the  hair  to  grow  in  a broad  tuft  from 
the  forehead  to  the  back  of  the  neck,  reminding  one  of  the  cheap 
wooden  horses  made  for  children  in  England,  and  some  Kajji  say 
that  a youth  should  not  shave  his  head  until  he  has  had  two 
children.  But  this  is  doubtful,  though  I suppose  most  of  them 
have  a couple  before  the  age  of  twenty,  that  is  if  they  have  more 
than  one  wife.  Some  males  plait  their  hair  instead  in  a most 
intricate  fashion,  and  ornament  it  with  beads,  brass  rings,  and 
cowrie  shells,  while  others  cut  it  in  the  form  of  a mop  like  the 
Gannawarri,  Karshe,  and  others.  Young  girls  may  do  likewise  up 
to  the  age  of  about  six,  but  they  have  the  head  shaved  after  that, 
though  the  reason  given — namely,  that  they  have  to  carry  weights 
(wood,  water,  &c.)  while  the  men  seldom  do — seems  inadequate, 
for  the  Hausa  and  Beriberi  women  carry  very  heavy  loads  and  yet 
wear  a high,  solid  pad  running  from  front  to  back. 

The  older  men  usually  allow  the  beard  to  grow,  but  the 
moustache  is  shaved  now  and  then,  though  no  shaving  seems  to 
be  done  while  preparing  for  the  harvest.  I could  not  ascertain 
that  there  was  any  reason  for  this  except  that  the  men  were  too 
busy  on  their  farms  to  spare  the  necessary  time ; but  I suppose 
there  is  some  religious  meaning  in  it  (probably  connected  with  the 
hair-offering),  for  the  heads  were  shaved  as  usual,  and  they  would 
take  much  longer  to  do  than  the  upper  lip.  Kagoma  and  a few 
Kajji  men  wind  cotton  around  their  beards,  bringing  them  to  a 
sharp  point ; some  Australian  tribes  also  do  this. 

Open  brass  bracelets  are  worn  by  Kagoro  of  both  sexes,  and 
wide  iron  bands  (probably  obtained  from  the  Gannawarri)  on  the 
calves  of  any  old  man  and  old  woman  who  can  afford  them,  but 
they  are  very  rare.  Beads  and  horsehair  are  made  into  necklaces 

109 


“HEADS  AND  TAILS” 


for  women,  while  light  iron  chains  are  hung  by  men  around  their 
waists,  especially  if  courting,  and  strings  of  beads  are  worn  by  all 
females.  There  are  no  toe-rings,  but  beads  or  beans  are  used  for 
finger-rings.  All  ornaments  are  removable  except  the  metal  cases 
around  the  legs,  which  seem  to  be  a development  of  the  wooden 
protections  for  the  ankles  used  by  the  Kibbo.  They  are  very 
heavy,  and  make  the  feet  very  sore,  so  that  the  wearers  have  to 
tie  on  grass  wads  or  bandages  of  cotton  or  leather  for  them  to  rest 
upon ; they  are,  however,  valuable,  and  are  therefore  kept  in  the 
family. 

Both  the  upper  and  lower  lips  of  the  women  are  pierced  for 
the  reception  of  small  discs  of  wood  called  tichiak , which  are  of 
varying  sizes,  and  may  be  over  one  inch  in  diameter  and  about 
three-quarters  of  an  inch  high.  Sometimes  the  outer  face  of  these 
discs  is  ornamented  with  a row  of  seeds,  a flat,  round  piece  of 
native  tin,  or  simply  with  a little  red-coloured  earth.  Though 
they  are  easily  removable  they  are  supposed  to  prevent  women 
eating  fowls  or  dogs,  the  latter  a very  great  privation  ; but  as 
these  people  do  not  kiss  one  another,  there  is  no  objection  to  the 
tichiak  on  that  score.  The  lips  are  usually  pierced  when  the  girl 
is  about  seven  or  eight  years  of  age,  stalks  of  grass  being  first 
inserted  and  worn  for  a time,  and  then  sticks  of  increasing  thick- 
ness until  the  tichiak  itself  can  be  taken,  the  largest  sizes  of  which 
give  the  mouth  a very  cruel  shape,  and  make  the  lips  project  so 
much  that  seen  sideways  the  wearer  has  a pig-like  appearance. 

Both  ears  are  pierced  in  the  women,  only  the  left  in  the  men, 
and  they  are  treated  in  the  same  way  as  are  the  lips ; but  in  the 
southern  Kagoro  towns  the  piercing  of  the  ears  of  the  males  is 
not  compulsory,  and  it  is,  I think,  dying  out,  even  in  the  more 
northern  parts,  for  I saw  but  few  men  wearing  ear-rings.  Beads, 
usually  in  the  shape  of  blue  glass  rings,  are  bought  from  the 
Hausawa,  and  are  worn,  or  if  these  be  unobtainable  string  or 
sticks  will  do,  but  I have  not  seen  any  metal  ones,  not  even  of 
brass,  wire,  or  tin,  although  all  of  these  substances  are  used  for 
the  ornamentation  of  other  parts  of  the  body,  as  I have  already 
mentioned.  The  ear-rings  are  very  light  and  quite  moderate  in 
size,  and  they  do  not  weigh  down  the  lobes,  but  nevertheless  I 

110 


“HEADS  AND  TAILS” 


have  seen  several  torn  lobes  which  could  not  be  mended.  The 
nose  is  not  pierced,  as  with  the  Nadu  to  the  south,  who  wear 
pieces  of  wood  or  bone  through  the  septum  of  the  nose,  and 
through  both  lips  and  ears,  or  as  with  the  Beriberi  of  Bornu  who 
wear  coral-like  ornaments  in  the  right  nostril;  nor  is  it  flattened. 
The  teeth  are  not  filed  as  with  the  Bassa,  nor  are  they  broken  as 
with  the  Yoruba  tribes;  and  there  is  no  deformation  of  the  feet 
or  fingers. 

All  members,  male  and  female,  of  the  Kagoro,  Moroa,  and 
Kajji  tribes  are  scarified  in  the  same  way,  though  the  females  are 
more  profusely  decorated  than  the  males,  and  I am  told  that  the 
same  holds  good  with  the  Attakka,  Katab,  and  Jaba  as  well ; 
certainly  all  whom  I saw  had  had  some  acquaintance  with  the 
knife,  though  before  the  present  pattern  was  adopted  each  tribe 
had  irregular  cuts  on  the  forehead  only.  There  is  now  no  religious 
significance  about  the  designs,  they  maintain,  the  lines  being 
simply  to  denote  race,  and  this  must  be  correct  if  what  they  say 
about  copying  the  Katab  pattern  is  true. 

Males  and  females  have  the  same  marks  on  the  head,  and  those 
consist  of  a number  of  short  perpendicular  cuts  right  across  the  fore- 
head from  ear  to  ear,  and  long  slanting  lines  (thirteen  or  more)  on 
each  cheek  from  ear  to  chin.  In  some  cases — particularly  amongst 
the  younger  men — a kind  of  zigzag  is  added  to  the  lowest  lines, 
but  this  is  not  compulsory,  the  other  marks  are,  except  in  Tuku 
and  Tuku  Tozo.  The  people  of  these  towns  seem  to  be  separating 
themselves  from  their  northern  relatives,  and  to  be  desirous  of 
settling  down  peacefully  under  Jemaan  Daroro,  for  in  addition  to 
this  and  the  difference  in  the  shape  of  the  tail,  and  of  the  houses 
before  mentioned,  there  are  no  euphorbia  hedges  in  this  quarter. 
Youths  have  the  forehead  scarified  when  able  to  use  a hoe,  girls 
when  they  go  to  their  husbands. 

Men  may  have  in  addition  patterns  on  the  chest,  composed  of 
rows  of  cuts  from  about  a quarter  to  one-half  an  inch  in  length, 
and  usually  made  slantwise,  but  they  are  voluntary  and  seem  to 
be  dying  out.  The  only  persons  with  these  chest-marks  were 
chiefs,  but  I was  told  that  they  were  not  in  any  sense  signs  of  rank, 
nor  looked  upon  as  charms,  but  there  is  no  doubt  that  certain 

111 


“HEADS  AND  TAILS” 


Hausa  patterns  which  are  so  regarded  will  spread  and  be  adopted 
even  by  the  conservative  Kagoro  (the  Kajji  have  many  of  them 
now),  especially  those  which  are  supposed  to  have  particular 
virtues  such  as  prevention  of  sickness,  retention  of  a wife’s  fidelity, 
and  even  those  invented  for  somewhat  baser  motives.  I could  not 
find  out  what  the  patterns  which  they  have  now  were  intended  to 
represent ; the  people  said  that  they  did  not  know,  and,  if  bor- 
rowed, this  was  probably  quite  true.  The  only  raised  scars  I saw 
were  on  a Kajji  man  at  Mersa,  and  they  were  said  to  have  been 
more  accidental  than  intentional.  On  the  first  occasion  when  this 
man  noticed  that  I was  looking  at  him  he  ran  off  in  terror,  but 
afterwards  he  was  quite  friendly,  and  I got  several  photographs 
of  him. 

Women’s  chests  and  backs  are  decorated  with  a regular 
pattern  early  in  life,  so  there  is  no  need  for  them  to  undergo 
fresh  pain  later  for  the  sake  of  acquiring  additional  beauty.  The 
first  lines  to  be  done  are  those  on  the  abdomen,  and  though  these 
vary  a little  in  design,  the  usual  triangular  and  parallel  lines  are 
fairly  well  distinguishable.  When  a girl  reaches  the  marriageable 
age  the  chest  and  back  will  be  scarified  in  two  parallel  sets  of 
long  lines  of  short  cuts,  running  from  the  breasts  to  join  the 
pattern  already  on  the  stomach,  and  from  the  shoulder  blades 
to  the  small  of  the  back.  As  soon  as  possible  after  the  marriage 
the  lines  on  the  forehead  are  made,  and  then  she  is  a finished 
work  of  art — there  is  no  danger  of  a Kagoro  wife  losing  her 
66  marriage-lines.” 

The  scarifier  is  an  important  person,  though  he  has  not  the 
exclusive  right  to  operate  upon  every  one,  and,  in  fact,  the  father 
is  always  free  to  slice  his  own  offspring  about  should  he  feel 
inclined,  but  all  the  “ best  people  ” who  wanted  their  patterns 
in  the  most  perfect  style  would  certainly  patronise  the  professional 
artist.  The  office  is  practically  hereditary,  for  no  man  would 
teach  the  secrets  of  his  noble  art  to  any  but  his  own  son  or 
nephew. 

In  addition  to  the  scarified  designs,  at  dances  or  feasts  or 
when  courting,  people  of  either  sex  may  paint  on  themselves  a 
black  stripe  about  an  inch  wide,  running  from  forehead  to 

112 


“ HEADS  AND  TAILS  ” 


stomach,  and  sometimes  there  is  a narrow  line  on  each  side  as 
well,  or  for  each  of  these  lines  may  be  substituted  a set  of  three 
narrow  ones.  No  colours  are  used  on  the  body  but  black  pig- 
ment and  red  earth,  and  no  other  designs  are  permitted.  The 
pigment  is  obtained  from  the  unripe  kernel  of  a certain  thorn 
tree  (called  illak  by  the  Kagoro,  gaude  by  the  Hausawa)  which 
is  pounded  up,  mixed  with  water,  and  applied  with  the  crushed 
end  of  a stalk  of  guinea-corn.  For  scarification,  which  is  to 
be  permanent,  of  course,  the  incisions  are  painted  with  grease 
mixed  with  soot  from  the  bottom  of  the  cooking-pots. 

The  women  usually  smear  their  bodies  with  red  earth,  mixed 
with  grease  if  they  can  get  it,  and  the  men  on  certain  occasions 
may  coat  their  legs  up  to  their  knees,  and  this  custom  is  not  con- 
fined to  the  wild  pagans,  for  I have  seen  dusky  beauties  of 
Jemaa  mixing  the  red  earth  with  vaseline  bought  from  traders, 
and  rubbing  it  into  their  bodies  until  they  took  on  quite  a 
coppery-red  tint.  In  the  case  of  the  Jemaa  women,  I should 
think  the  idea  was  chiefly,  if  not  altogether,  for  the  sake  of 
increasing  their  charms,  but  with  the  Kagoro  and  others,  the 
coating  may  have  afforded  protection  against  insects  also,  for 
their  naked  bodies  must  suffer  a good  deal  from  tiny  tormentors. 
There  is  plenty  of  red  earth  in  the  vicinity,  also  white,  but  the 
latter  is  not  used  for  decorating  the  body,  though  it  may  be 
smeared  on  the  houses,  and  even  eaten  by  women  under  certain 
circumstances.  Hausa  women,  however,  use  white  and  even 
yellow  earth  on  their  faces,  especially  to  mark  rings  round  their 
eyes  to  keep  off  all  the  evil-eyes.  There  are  no  special  artists  for 
the  painting,  the  people  doing  it  to  each  other,  or  to  themselves. 

No  distinctive  dress  is  worn  for  prowess  in  war,  nor  to  denote 
that  a man  had  taken  a head,  as  in  Fiji,  though  he  was  not  sup- 
posed to  have  attained  to  the  full  dignity  of  manhood  until  he 
had  killed  some  one.  There  was  a general  idea  amongst  Jemaan 
Daroro  people  that  at  any  rate  no  Kagoro  male  was  allowed  to 
marry  until  this  most  desirable  feat  had  been  performed,  but  the 
Kagoro  themselves  deny  this,  and,  judging  by  the  early  age  at 
which  youths  obtain  their  brides,  I feel  inclined  to  believe  them, 
though  such  qualifications  are  known  to  be  insisted  upon  else- 

113  h 


“HEADS  AND  TAILS” 


where,  for  instance  amongst  the  Dyaks  of  Borneo.  When  a man 
had  been  lucky  enough  to  procure  a head  he  naturally  did  not 
hide  his  good  deed,  and  on  the  return  of  the  hero  to  his  house, 
his  whole  body  was  smeared  with  red  earth,  and  he  was  carried 
in  procession  on  the  back  of  a friend,  the  women  of  the  quarter 
meanwhile  dancing,  waving  their  hands  before  him,  and  singing 
his  praises. 

It  is  rather  surprising  that  the  Kagoro  and  others  have  not 
learned  to  put  antimony  or  sulphide  of  lead  on  their  eyelids,  nor 
to  stain  their  hands  and  feet  with  henna,  as  do  the  Filani  and 
Hausawa  near  them.  They  say  that  they  are  afraid  to  ornament 
their  hands,  lest  it  should  interfere  with  their  farming  and  work 
generally,  and  it  is  more  than  probable  that  this  idea  is  ardently 
fostered  by  the  men  so  that  the  women  will  continue  to  do  all 
the  hard  work — there  are  no  Votes  for  Women  amongst  the 
Kagoro ! 

No  Kagoro,  Kajji,  Attakka,  or  Moroa  woman  would  dare  to 
attire  herself  in  any  other  than  the  prescribed  fashion,  as  I have 
said,  and  I have  known  girls,  taken  away  when  young,  and  dressed 
in  Hausa  cloths,  to  discard  these  at  once  for  the  tichiak  and 
kunnok  on  their  return.  On  the  other  hand,  the  mutilation  of 
the  lips  is  not  at  all  popular  amongst  women  of  other  tribes,  who 
do  not  indulge  in  the  practice.  Having  to  judge  once  between 
a husband  who  wanted  his  wife  (a  runaway  slave  from  Sokoto) 
Kajji-ised , and  the  wife  herself,  who  thought  her  natural  charms 
sufficient,  I decided  that  she  must  wear  the  leaves  and  tail  as 
she  was  a wife,  and  they  were  the  signs  of  marriage  in  the 
country  she  had  adopted,  but  that  her  lips  were  not  to  be  touched, 
for  the  perforations  should  have  been  made  when  the  girl 
was  young,  if  at  all.  They  seemed  to  be  satisfied,  I am  sure 
I was. 


114 


CHAPTER  X 


TRIBUTE  TROUBLES 

I HAVE  already  said  that  the  Kagoro  and  other  tribes  had  to 
pay  us  tribute,  and  it  may  be  as  well  to  explain  why.  The 
payment  of  a fixed  amount,  in  cash  or  in  kind,  by  a weak 
people  to  a strong  has  long  been  recognised  as  the  sign  of  the 
acknowledgment  of  suzerainty,  and  it  is  enforced  by  the  Govern- 
ment of  Northern  Nigeria,  not  so  much  on  account  of  the  amount 
brought  in — the  expenses  of  collection  exceeding  the  sum  received 
in  many  cases — but  rather  to  remind  the  natives  that  we  are  the 
masters,  and  that  we  intend  to  keep  them  under  control.  This 
refers  more  particularly  to  the  tribes  in  the  Pagan  Belt ; in  the 
old  Hausa  States  of  Sokoto  and  Kano,  the  tribute  is  an  important 
source  of  revenue,  but  in  those  more  settled  parts  the  Political 
Officer  is  rather  more  of  a resident  Treasury  official  than  a 
traveller,  more  of  a legal  expert  than  an  anthropologist,  though 
political  problems  have  to  be  solved  by  all.  As  for  those  who 
have  always  lived  in  bungalows  in  Zungeru  or  Lokoja,  they  can 
hardly  be  said  to  know  the  real  West  Africa  at  all,  and  this  is  so 
well  recognised  now  that  men  from  the  Political  Service  are  being 
transferred  to  the  Secretariat. 

I had  been  waiting  for  a long  time  for  the  chance  to  complete 
my  higher  Hausa  examination,  and  at  last  in  December  1908,  I 
received  permission  to  proceed  to  Zaria  to  be  tested.  It  seemed 
rather  strange  that  I should  have  to  do  a journey  of  over  300 
miles  there  and  back,  and  be  away  from  my  headquarters  for  a 
month  just  for  this  reason,  but  such  was  the  ruling  against  my 
application  to  be  considered  as  having  passed  in  consequence  of 
my  success  in  the  army  examination  before  referred  to  (although 
my  application  was  supported  by  the  local  examiner),  and  I was 
very  glad  to  have  the  chance  of  the  trip.  Sending  instructions  to 

115 


TRIBUTE  TROUBLES 

the  Kagoro  and  Moroa  tribes  that  I should  visit  them  on  my 
return  for  the  tribute,  I left  Jemaan  Daroro  on  the  1st  January, 
and,  marching  through  Kajji,  Jaba,  Keddara  and  other  countries, 
I reached  Zaria  on  the  8th,  an  average  of  19  miles  a day.  The 
harmattan  season  was  then  at  its  height,  and  on  the  day  that  we 
reached  Zaria,  I walked  12  miles  without  mounting  (we  had 
started  at  3.10  a.m.)  although  wrapped  in  a thick  military  great- 
coat, and  I have  never  liked  walking. 

I stayed  five  days  at  Zaria,  not  wholly  on  account  of  the 
examination,  the  result  of  which  was  eminently  satisfactory,  but 
because  I had  been  unwell  for  some  time,  and  there  was  no  doctor 
at  Jemaan  Daroro.  However,  on  the  13th  I again  took  the  road, 
and  travelling  by  a different  route,  arrived  at  Fada  Kagoro  on 
the  19th,  this  time  doing  an  even  better  average  rate.  I had  two 
little  excitements  en  route , for  at  a town  named  Liberi  I found  that 
the  man  who  carried  my  camp  bed,  blankets,  pyjamas,  and  towels 
had  lost  his  way,  and  was  missing,  so  I had  to  sleep  as  I was  in  my 
44  shorts  ” and  helmet,  with  only  a great-coat  and  face  towel  to 
keep  off  the  mosquitoes. 

Next  morning  I had  planned  to  start  at  3.0  a.m.,  and  at  2.30 
I whistled  for  the  carriers.  After  about  a quarter  of  an  hour,  one 
or  two  appeared,  and  the  headman  informed  me  that  the  rest 
would  not  come  as  they  wanted  to  start  later.  I blew  again  and 
waited,  but  without  any  result,  and  I then  made  for  the  huts  in 
which  they  had  passed  the  night.  I,  of  course,  found  them  empty, 
but  the  men’s  sleeping-mats  were  still  there,  and  telling  the  head- 
man to  collect  them,  I set  one  of  the  servants  to  make  a fire,  and 
calling  out  in  a loud  voice,  44  Burn  the  mats  of  all  those  carriers 
who  are  missing,”  I threw  some  dry  grass  on  to  the  fire,  and  the 
flames  leapt  up.  Immediately  there  was  a rush  from  the  sur- 
rounding huts  and  from  the  bush,  and  the  owners  being  made  to 
pack  my  loads  before  their  mats  were  restored,  we  started  off  at 
3.30  a.m.,  only  half-an-hour  late. 

Every  one  of  the  carriers  who  had  caused  the  trouble  in  the 
morning  was  beaten  later,  and  that  day  we  covered  30  miles,  yet 
there  was  no  more  disagreement  between  us,  and  the  same  men 
accompanied  me  on  several  subsequent  treks.  It  may  seem  harsh 

116 


but  they  were  an  accident  apparently. 


TRIBUTE  TROUBLES 


treatment,  but  I was  going  into  the  Kagoro  country  for  the  first 
time,  and  unless  carriers  are  controlled  strictly,  they  begin  looting, 
so  I had  to  teach  them  a lesson  at  once,  for  even  a petty  theft  from  a 
man  of  a savage  tribe  may  mean  the  massacre  of  the  whole  party 
later.  That  night  the  man  with  my  bed  turned  up  again — and  I 
admit  I was  glad  to  see  him  about  seven  o’clock,  just  as  I had 
given  up  all  hope — having  travelled  well  over  forty  miles,  for  he 
had  had  to  retrace  his  steps  to  get  to  the  town  where  we  had 
camped  in  order  to  find  out  where  we  had  gone.  And  if  I was  glad 
so  was  he,  for  he  had  had  to  sleep  in  a tree  with  hyenas  prowling 
around  and  sniffing  at  the  bed  which  he  had  left  on  the  ground. 

The  next  day  I reached  Zungon  Katab,  and  the  day  after- 
wards I was  met  by  four  soldiers,  the  advance  guard  of  an  escort 
of  eleven  allowed  me  while  on  trek  in  the  Kagoro  country,  both 
to  lend  weight  to  my  arguments,  and  to  guard  any  cash  received. 

The  reader  will  by  this  time,  I hope,  have  become  thoroughly 
convinced  of  the  necessity  for  exacting  tribute  from  these  com- 
paratively lawless  tribes,  but,  however  sound  our  views  on  this 
score  may  be,  it  is  unfortunately  necessary  to  state  that  the 
natives  do  not  always  agree  with  them.  The  Kagoro,  Moroa, 
and  other  head-hunters  in  the  Jemaan  Daroro  division  paid  only 
between  a penny  and  threepence  per  head  per  annum , but  it  can 
hardly  be  stated  with  any  show  of  truth  that  they  did  so  as 
willingly  as  long-suffering  Englishmen  would  if  they  could  sub- 
stitute that  amount  for  what  they  usually  have  to  pay.  We  must 
necessarily  be  extremely  lenient  in  all  matters  where  time  is  con- 
cerned with  these  pagans,  for  most  of  them  have  absolutely  no 
idea  of  any  divisions  of  the  year  other  than  u harvest  ” and 
u non-harvest,”  nor  of  the  sunny  hours  of  the  day  than  meal- time 
and  not-meal-time ; as  the  Geisha  has  it,  “ a month  or  a week  or 
a day,  sir,”  are  nought  to  the  happy-go-lucky  savage.  In 
fact  these  names  are  quite  interchangeable  in  his  mind  unless 
connected  with  anything  regarding  his  own  welfare,  and  even 
then  only  if  to  his  advantage.  One  is  often  taken  in  by  the 
apparent  innocence  of  the  native,  and  this  does  not  apply  only  to 
the  newcomer — though  he  is  naturally  the  most  easily  victimised 
— but  to  the  men  who  rather  fancy  that  they  know  a thing  or 

117 


TRIBUTE  TROUBLES 

two  like  myself,  for  instance,  for  I am  quite  sure  that  I was 
deceived  on  more  than  one  occasion,  even  during  my  last  tour. 

However,  to  get  back  to  the  tribute,  I have  said  that  it  is 
necessary  to  be  lenient  in  matters  of  time,  but  there  is  a limit  in 
all  things,  and  I thought  that  two  years  and  more  was  quite  long 
enough.  We  usat  down,”  as  the  expression  is,  for  a few  days 
at  the  Fada  of  the  Kagoro,  and  wiped  out  most  of  the  arrears 
due  by  that  tribe,  and  then  we  proceeded  to  Akut  to  collect 
the  Moroa  money.  One  town,  Babban  Gidda,  had  been  very 
obstinate,  and  as  nothing  much  came  in  on  my  demand,  I 
determined  to  play  the  people  a little  trick. 

About  4 a.m.  next  morning  we  started  off  in  two  parties,  and 
surrounded  the  town,  and  then,  entering  quietly,  stole  all  the 
horses  we  could  find.  Day  broke  just  afterwards,  and  lamenta- 
tions arose  in  all  directions,  but  we  were  by  then  clear  of  the 
town,  and  on  our  way  back  to  the  camp.  Within  an  hour  or 
two  the  necessary  cash  had  been  paid,  the  horses  had  been 
ransomed,  and  the  tribute  receipts  given  out,  and  I believe  the 
victims  rather  enjoyed  the  joke,  for  they  have  a very  clear  even  if 
a very  primitive  idea  of  justice.  At  any  rate,  although  they  had 
previously  kept  clear  of  our  camp,  they  now  came  to  sell  food 
and  joke  with  the  soldiers,  an  extraordinary  fact  about  the 
native  being  that  he  seldom  has  a lasting  grievance  against  any- 
body, and  if  you  attack  his  town  and  kill  his  people  to-day, 
he  will  be  only  too  delighted  to  join  you  to-morrow  in  an 
attack  on  some  other  tribe.  I remember,  on  my  first  arrival 
at  Lokoja  in  1903,  being  struck  by  the  fact  that  the  civil 
prisoners  and  the  police  escort  laughed  and  chatted  together 
like  old  friends  while  at  play  (“  work  ” was,  I believe,  the 
official  term  for  what  they  did),  and  I have  even  seen  a 
prisoner  holding  a constable’s  carbine  for  him  ! The  old  story 
of  the  prisoners  having  complained  that  they  would  not  stay  in 
the  prison  (a  mud  and  grass  erection)  unless  the  food  was  better, 
is,  of  course,  told  about  the  gaol  in  Lokoja,  but  conditions  are  very 
different  now,  brick  cells  and  a smarter  police  force  having  trans- 
ferred the  choice  of  staying  or  not  staying  to  the  Government. 

The  next  town  I visited  was  Chori,  the  chief  of  which  had 

118 


TRIBUTE  TROUBLES 


given  trouble  on  several  occasions  by  beating  policemen,  and  by 
refusing  to  come  to  Jemaan  Daroro  when  summoned.  I,  there- 
fore, was  not  surprised  to  find  that  his  town  was  empty  of 
horses,  he  having,  of  course,  heard  of  the  little  raid  on  his  fellow- 
countrymen  a couple  of  days  before.  The  chief  was  an  old  man, 
his  name  being  Dawiya,  and  this  struck  me  as  being  very  appro- 
priate according  to  the  Hausa  tongue,  for  da  wiya  means 
44  troublesome,”  the  only  thing  against  this  translation  being 
that  the  man  himself  was  not  a Hausa,  but  a Moroa.  He 
seemed  to  be  always  chuckling  to  himself,  and  it  was  impossible 
to  speak  to  him  without  laughing.  I began  to  disbelieve  the 
reports  I had  heard  about  him,  for  he  promised,  in  a most 
amiable  tone,  to  do  everything  I ordered,  and  after  half-an- 
hour  or  so  we  might  have  been  lifelong  friends.  Food  was 
brought,  full  payment  of  the  outstanding  tribute  was  promised 
on  the  morrow  (when  is  the  native’s  morrow  ?),  and  as  an  earnest 
four  large  bags  of  cowries  were  brought  forth  in  great  style — 
which,  on  being  counted,  were  found  to  be  worth  2s.  each. 

Next  morning  Dawiya  came  again,  but  without  the  tribute,  of 
course,  and  began  to  explain  that  it  was  all  in  his  house  except 
for  a shilling  or  two,  and  that  he  wished  to  complete  the  whole 
sum  before  bothering  me  to  take  it.  When  I suggested  his 
bringing  what  he  had  already  got,  he  pooh-poohed  the  idea, 
and  he  soon  afterwards  said  that  he  had  really  not  been  able 
to  collect  any  at  all. 

What  was  I to  do  with  the  poor  old  sinner  ? It  would  have 
been  quite  legal  to  have  arrested  him  (even  we  in  England  are 
subject  to  such  a proceeding),  but  in  a country  where  enslaving 
is  still  rampant,  one  has  to  be  very  careful  not  to  give  the  native 
the  idea  that  arresting  and  keeping  a man  for  debt  is  only 
another  name  for  capturing  and  holding  him  to  ransom,  or  for 
pawning.  Strangely  enough,  at  that  very  moment  a charge  of 
enslaving  was  brought  against  Dawiya. 

It  seemed  that  years  ago  he  had  sold  a horse  to  a certain 
Hausa  trader  of  Jemaan  Daroro,  and  as  it  had  not  been  paid  for 
(at  least  that  was  Dawiya’s  defence),  he  had  seized  the  man’s 
daughter,  Lahidi,  who  was  then  staying  with  her  mother  in 

119 


TRIBUTE  TROUBLES 

Chori.  The  trader  afterwards  tendered  the  money,  or  the 
balance  of  it,  but  Dawiya  would  not  let  the  girl  go.  I 
ordered  Lahidi  to  be  produced,  and  she  came,  though  very 
reluctantly.  The  system  of  pawning  children,  or  handing  them 
over  to  the  creditor  as  security  for  repayment  of  a debt,  is 
very  common  in  West  Africa,  though  now  forbidden  by  our 
proclamations,  and  as  I had  then  to  think  the  matter  out,  I 
may  as  well  give  some  account  of  it  here. 

A great-uncle  of  mine,  the  Rev.  John  Martin,  writing  at 
Accra  in  1845,  says,  44  I saw  an  open  box  [placed  on  four  posts 
close  to  the  path],  containing  a human  skeleton  bleaching  in  the 
sun.  The  flesh  had  almost  all  disappeared,  being  carried  away, 
I suppose,  by  the  birds.  It  was  the  body  of  a 4 pawn  1 or  debtor. 
He,  dying  in  debt,  the  body,  according  to  the  law  of  the  country, 
was  refused  burial  until  some  friends  should  make  satisfaction 
to  the  creditor.  This  pawn  system  is  most  destructive  to  the 
independence  and  advancement  in  civilisation  of  these  people. 
It  is  not  an  uncommon  thing  for  a parent  to  pawn  his  child,  or 
for  a man  to  pawn  himself  to  a rich  neighbour  in  order  to  obtain 
a sum  of  money  to  gratify  himself  for  a moment.  The  creditor 
puts  on  an  enormous  interest,  which  requires  the  services  of  the 
pawn  to  pay,  while  the  principal  remains  undiminished.  If  he 
have  no  friends  to  pay  the  debt  for  him,  he  dies  a pawn,  and  his 
children  take  his  place  of  bondage,  and  should  he  be  destitute  of 
both  friends  and  children,  his  body  is  denied  a grave,  and  is 
exposed  in  the  way  mentioned.  In  consequence  of  this  law,  the 
number  of  free  persons  is  small.”  He  notes  that  44  Okanita,  one 
of  the  headmen,  appeared  to  be  fully  alive  to  the  ruinous 
character  of  the  customs  for  the  dead,  and  to  be  very  desirous 
that  they  should  be  abolished.  They  are,  the  chief  said,  the 
cause  of  more  than  one-half  of  the  domestic  slavery  and  pawns  in 
the  country.  A man,  who  unfortunately  loses  any  member  of  his 
family,  must  make  an  expensive  4 custom,’  which  consists  chiefly  in 
drinking  rum  and  firing  muskets.  If  he  is  a poor  man,  there 
is  seldom  any  other  resource  but  to  pawn  himself  or  a Qhild.” 

The  reason  of  the  debt,  therefore,  may  be  a religious  one,  but 
it  is  often  on  account  of  food  that  children  are  pawned  and  even 

120 


TRIBUTE  TROUBLES 

sold.  Thus,  daring  the  famine  in  the  Benue  provinces  during 
1905,  many  Bashima  mothers  actually  sold  their  children  for  a 
couple  of  bags  of  guinea-corn,  and  hundreds  must  have  pawned 
their  own  offspring ; but  as  I shall  refer  to  this  point  in  another 
chapter,  I need  not  dwell  further  upon  it  now.  With  Kagoro 
and  Moroa,  the  laws  (or  I ought,  possibly,  to  say,  customs)  with 
regard  to  pawning  are  much  less  harsh  than  on  the  Gold  Coast, 
for  instance.  The  debtor  does  not  appear  to  have  usually  handed 
the  child  to  the  creditor  as  security,  but  if  he  were  unable  to  pay, 
the  latter  would  try  to  seize  him  or  one  of  his  sons,  if  he  had  one, 
if  not,  perhaps  a brother ; and  the  captive  would  be  compelled  to 
remain  with  the  creditor  for  four  years,  and  farm  his  land  and 
work  for  him  generally.  After  that,  supposing  that  he  had 
not  previously  escaped,  he  would  be  free,  and  the  debt  would 
be  extinguished.  Of  course,  the  father  might  pay  up  in  the 
meanwhile  and  so  release  his  son,  but  the  other  would  probably 
be  the  usual  course,  for  — as  we  shall  see  in  the  case  of  the 
daughters — the  father  is  inclined  to  make  as  much  out  of  his 
children  as  possible,  and  the  pawn  would,  in  any  case,  be  kindly 
treated  and  not  sold  if  of  the  same  tribe. 

Lahidi  was,  as  I have  said,  brought  from  Dawiya’s  house  with 
some  show  of  resistance,  and  she  seemed  very  much  disinclined  to 
return  to  her  own  father ; but  as,  according  to  the  Moroa  laws,  the 
debt  had  been  extinguished  even  if  it  had  not  been  paid  before, 
and  as  I suspected  that  she  would  be  under  the  influence  of  Dawiya 
while  at  Chori,  I restored  her  to  her  parents,  and  sent  her  to 
Jemaan  Daroro.  Her  lips  had  been  pierced  in  the  Moroa 
fashion  (the  Hausas  do  not  do  that,  of  course),  and  she  wore 
only  the  Moroa  maiden’s  girdle  of  string,  and  though  she  was 
given  clothes  on  her  arrival  at  Jemaan  Daroro,  she  discarded  them 
and  escaped  soon  afterwards,  walking  alone  by  night  to  Chori — 
a girl  of  twelve  years  of  age,  and  there  are  leopards  and  hyenas 
about ! I had  her  brought  back  again,  and  told  her  that  she  would 
have  to  remain  with  her  parents  until  she  was  of  marriageable 
age,  and  then  if  she  still  wished  to  return  to  her  Moroa  family 
she  would  be  allowed  to  do  so.  She  was  still  in  Jemaan  Daroro 
when  I left  in  1909,  and  her  parents  were  trying  all  sorts  of 

121 


TRIBUTE  TROUBLES 


magani  (charms)  to  make  her  shake  off  the  attractions  of  Dawiya’s 
country,  but  apparently  they  had  not  succeeded  very  well,  as 
every  now  and  then  she  would  refuse  to  wear  clothes,  and  that 
must  show  strong  feelings  in  a daughter  of  Eve ! Probably  she 
wished  to  resemble  her  great  ancestress  the  better  by  wearing 
leaves — that  is  if  she  knew  of  any  Eve. 

Another  interesting  case  was  one  of  debt  brought  by  Kura, 
the  chief  of  the  Katab  town  Kaura,  who  claimed  two  horses  from 
one  of  Dawiya’s  nephews;  the  defendant,  a boy  of  some  twelve  years 
of  age,  being  represented  by  his  uncle.  It  appeared  that  some  thirty 
years  before,  Kaura’s  father  had  given  the  boy’s  grandfather  a 
goat  to  keep  for  him,  and  had  somehow  failed  to  return  it  on 
demand.  As  I have  said  before,  the  native  has  but  a very  short 
memory  for  such  trifles  as  consideration  of  the  proper  ownership 
of  anything  he  happens  to  be  in  possession  of  and  has  taken  a 
fancy  to.  The  goat  had,  of  course,  brought  forth  many  young 
ones,  as  goats  will,  especially  in  the  fertile  climate  of  West 
Africa.  A calculation  of  the  value  of  the  descendants  gave  an 
amount  equal  to  the  price  of  two  horses,  though  perhaps  I should 
not  use  the  word  c<  price,”  because  human  beings,  horses,  dogs, 
goats,  fowls  and  many  commodities  such  as  salt  and  tobacco  are 
really  currency.  Now,  I myself  had  done  a little  arithmetic  in 
my  time,  and  had  even  struggled  with  the  Government’s  revenue 
returns  (in  which  the  receipt  of  a goat,  valued  perhaps  at  Is.  6d., 
has  to  be  entered  nineteen  times\  but  this  was  an  absolutely  new 
problem,  and,  not  being  an  expert  in  goats,  I was  somewhat  at  a 
loss  to  know  whether  they  increased  in  an  arithmetical  or  geo- 
metrical proportion. 

The  boy  admitted  that  his  grandfather  had  received  a goat, 
but  maintained  that  he  had  paid  for  it,  and  that  the  goat  had, 
therefore,  become  his  own  property.  I pointed  out  that  no 
witnesses  of  the  transaction  were  still  alive,  and  that  I had 
previously  announced  that  I should  not  go  into  cases  of  very 
ancient  debts,  but  as  it  was  evident  that  Kura’s  father’s  goat  had 
by  some  means  become  the  property  of  a grandfather  of  the  boy, 
and  that  many  descendants  of  the  animal  were  now  in  the  latter’s 
possession,  he  would  have  to  give  Kura  a male  and  a female  from 

122 


The  goat-houses  are  small,  round  huts,  with  logs  on  the  floor  to  leave  spaces  for  the  droppings  and  for  ashes,  the  mixture  being 
used  as  manure.  The  door  is  closed  by  placing  logs  of  wood  on  the  top  of  one  another,  they  being  held  in  position  by  an  upright  on 
each  side.  Loose  branches  of  thorn  or  euphorbia  are  placed  in  front  to  keep  leopards  and  hyenas  away  from  these  logs.  See  p.  137. 


TRIBUTE  TROUBLES 

the  offspring.  It  was  not  a ’very  learned  judgment,  I admit ; it 
would,  perhaps,  not  even  appear  to  be  logical  to  most  of  us. 
But  it  put  an  end  to  a dispute  of  some  thirty  years’  standing, 
and  satisfied  both  parties ; for  the  boy  was  rather  afraid  that 
Kura  (being  a chief)  would  some  day  manage  to  get  the  whole 
of  his  goats  from  him,  while  Kura  probably  never  expected  to 
get  anything  at  all  under  the  Whiteman’s  law. 

It  was  now  lunch-time,  and  Dawiya’s  tribute  had  not  been 
paid,  so  I told  him  to  prepare  to  come  with  me  to  Jemaan 
Daroro.  This  proved  effective,  and  by  the  time  I had  finished 
the  meal,  I had  received  the  money.  The  cunning  old  man 
had  got  most  of  it  in  before  my  arrival,  and  had  been  hoping 
that  I would  go  off  without  receiving  payment,  thus  leaving  him 
to  spend  it  on  himself.  On  a further  demand  being  made,  he 
would  have  said,  of  course,  that  he  had  not  been  able  to  get 
any,  and  would  probably  have  got  some  of  his  people  into 
trouble,  although  they  were  in  the  right. 

From  Chori  I went  to  Bwingen,  a town  on  the  Gannawarri 
border,  which  had  not  before  been  entered  on  the  map.  As  the 
afternoon  was  well  advanced  by  that  time,  I returned  to  Akut 
instead  of  going  on  to  Zankam  as  I had  intended,  it  being 
impossible  to  camp  there  owing  to  an  outbreak  of  small-pox.  It 
was  lucky  that  we  did  not  go  on,  for  I heard  that  night  that  the 
people  of  one  of  the  quarters  had  laid  an  ambush  for  us,  saying 
that  they  would  pay  their  tribute  in  poisoned  arrows.  I might 
possibly  have  been  successful  had  I attacked  the  place  with 
thirteen  men,  but  I had  grown  a little  more  wary  than  in  the 
days  when  I went  to  the  Kukuruku  country,  and,  also,  a Political 
Officer  will  obtain  no  sympathy  (and  his  wife  no  compensation)  if 
he  gets  into  a mess  without  definite  orders,  so,  as  the  tribute  had 
been  collected  from  nearly  all  the  towns  except  Zankam,  I 
determined  to  return  to  Jemaan  Daroro,  giving  out  that  I would 
come  back  and  destroy  Zankam  the  following  month,  if  the  chief 
in  the  meantime  had  not  come  in  person  to  pay. 

Luckily,  the  people  of  Akut  knew  that  I had  decided  to  keep 
clear  of  the  small-pox  before  the  news  came  of  the  ambush,  and 
as  they  told  the  Zankam  people  this  we  did  not  lose  in  prestige. 

U3 


TRIBUTE  TROUBLES 

I went  back  to  my  old  mud  house  in  Jemaan  Daroro,  well  content 
on  the  whole  with  the  result  of  the  tour,  having  travelled  3 62 
miles  during  the  twenty-nine  days  for  which  I had  been  absent. 

Early  the  next  month  I was  out  again,  visiting  Fada  Kagoro 
first,  and  then  going  to  the  Kajji  district  with  the  intention  of 
using  my  persuasive  eloquence  on  the  resisters  there.  One  town 
on  a hill  just  outside  Fada  Kajji,  but  in  Zaria  territory,  had 
made  a speciality  in  highway  robbers,  and  I was  expecting  to 
co-operate  in  an  attack  on  them  by  a patrol  from  Zaria.  How- 
ever, nothing  had  been  settled  at  the  time,  and  so,  after  visiting 
some  more  Kajji  towns,  I went  south  and  east  to  the  Yesko 
country,  which  at  that  time  was  not  under  control.  We  marched 
eighteen  miles  and  camped  at  Baddi,  a town  which  had  not 
before  been  actually  entered  by  a white  man,  I believe,  though 
its  position  was  well  known. 

We  were  not  at  all  sure  of  our  reception,  as  a messenger, 
whom  I had  sent  ahead,  reported  the  place  to  be  empty,  and  so 
we  proceeded  very  warily,  for  that  was  a suspicious  sign.  The 
town  was  defended  by  a network  of  hedges  so  arranged  as  to 
make  excellent  cover  for  the  defending  archers,  and  every  now  and 
then  a bottle-shaped  pit,  perhaps  ten  feet  deep  and  six  feet  in 
width,  yawned  in  the  middle  of  the  road.  These  are  covered 
over  with  sticks,  grass,  and  earth  in  war  time,  and  a side  path 
is  cut  for  the  use  of  the  people  of  the  village,  the  ground  all 
around  being  dug  up  and  disturbed  so  that  no  one  except  the 
defenders  will  know  exactly  where  the  pit  and  the  side  path  are 
situated.  Sharp  stakes  may  be  placed  in  these  pits,  but  I believe 
that  there  is  usually  no  need  for  them,  the  bottle-shape  and  the 
width  giving  a prisoner  no  possibility  of  obtaining  a grip  any- 
where, and  thus  effectually  preventing  any  escape. 

We  camped  below  the  town,  most  of  which  was  built  on  the 
top  of  a hill,  and  sent  a message  to  the  chief  to  the  effect  that  he 
should  come  and  greet  us  according  to  custom,  but  we  could  not 
prevail  upon  him  to  do  so.  We  saw  no  one,  until,  towards 
evening,  sounds  of  drumming  and  laughter  were  heard,  and 
parties  of  men  and  women  appeared,  dressed  in  strings  of  beads, 
cloths,  and  other  finery,  coming  from  another  town,  Kworrebe, 

124 


TRIBUTE  TROUBLES 


where  they  had  been  feasting  and  dancing.  They  passed  close 
by  our  camp,  but  took  no  notice  of  us,  and  things  did  not  look 
too  hopeful.  Later  on  a couple  of  small  calabashes  of  flour  were 
brought,  but  they  were,  of  course,  quite  inadequate  for  the  men 
I had  with  me,  and  as  there  was  evidently  no  chance  of  getting 
anything  to  eat  there  unless  we  seized  it  by  force — and  that  I 
could  not  do — I determined  to  leave  next  morning. 

About  the  middle  of  the  night  I awoke  dreaming  of  poisoned 
arrows,  and  sure  enough,  I was  being  pricked  all  over.  It  is 
wonderful  what  a chain  of  thoughts  rushes  through  one’s  mind  in 
the  waking  moments.  I was  so  certain  that  I had  been  captured, 
and  tied  up,  and  was  now  being  tortured,  that  I could  hardly 
believe  it  when  I awoke,  and  saw  by  the  faint  moonlight  that  I 
was  alone  in  the  tent  though  there  were  sounds  of  angry  words 
and  movement  outside.  Still,  there  was  no  doubt  about  the 
stings,  and  I felt  fresh  ones  continually,  and  pretty  bad  some  of 
them  were,  too.  It  was  of  no  use  lying  there  and  wondering  what 
the  trouble  was,  so  I jumped  out  of  bed,  lit  the  lamp,  and  saw 
that  my  bed  was  full  of  travelling  ants  ! To  slip  on  my  long,  soft 
Hausa  boots  and  run  outside  was  the  work  of  a moment,  and 
there  I saw  that  most  of  the  men  were  rushing  about  with  lighted 
torches,  and  beating  the  ground  with  their  sleeping  mats,  having 
been  attacked  by  the  same  enemy.  Fire  is,  thank  Goodness,  a 
very  effective  antidote,  and  in  half-an-hour  or  so  we  were  clear 
of  the  pests,  but  it  was  a long  time  before  we  got  to  sleep  again, 
and  we  had  but  little  time  for  rest,  for  we  left  about  daybreak, 
and  went  towards  Jagindi,  having  more  excitement  en  route , as 
will  be  seen. 

I was  told  afterwards  that  the  chief  of  Baddi  had  just  been 
elected,  and  that  when  a man  is  appointed  to  the  position,  he 
must  provide  a feast  of  guinea-corn  beer.  He  is  given  usually 
about  three  months  in  which  to  collect  the  necessary  supply,  but 
even  then  the  feast  probably  renders  him  bankrupt  until  such 
time  as  he  has  seized  enough  of  the  property  of  his  subjects  to 
repay  the  loans.  Until  the  feast  has  been  given  he  is  not  con- 
sidered as  having  been  really  installed,  but  during  the  interval  he 
is  tabu  to  some  extent,  apparently,  as  he  must  not  see  nor  speak 

125 


TRIBUTE  TROUBLES 

to  a stranger.  The  chief  of  Jemaan  Daroro  confirmed  this 
account  afterwards,  so  it  is  probably  correct,  though  at  the  time 
it  seemed  to  me  very  much  too  convenient  a custom  to  be  true. 
The  people  all  speak  Hausa,  and  they  are  probably  a colony 
from  Zaria,  taking  their  name  of  Yesko  (plural  Yeskwa)  from 
their  original  leader,  a rebel. 

We  arrived  at  the  next  town,  Kano,  belonging  to  the 
Kagoma  tribe,  about  8.30  a.m.,  and  halted  a few  minutes  while  I 
sent  a messenger  on  ahead  to  say  that  I was  going  to  pay  the 
town  a peaceful  visit,  the  messenger  rolling  up  his  long  Hausa 
robe  and  tying  it  on  to  the  top  of  a stick,  this  corresponding  to  a 
white  flag  in  that  country,  so  he  said. 

Kano,  possibly  a colony  from  the  great  Hausa  capital,  and  so 
named  for  the  same  reason  that  we  christen  new  places  New  York, 
Perth,  Richmond,  &c.,  is  built  on  the  top  of  a high  rock,  and 
would  be  very  difficult  of  approach  if  properly  defended.  I fol- 
lowed the  messenger  with  the  Mada(i)ki  (the  D.H.M.  of  the 
district),  and  a local  man  who  also  rolled  his  cloth  on  a stick,  the 
escort  following  later  so  as  not  to  frighten  the  inhabitants,  and 
the  carriers  meanwhile  continued  along  the  Jagindi  road  until 
they  reached  a stream,  where  the  cook  had  orders  to  prepare  my 
breakfast. 

I wanted  a lot  of  guinea-corn  to  store  for  the  Waff  detach- 
ments at  Jemaan  Daroro,  for  during  the  wet  season,  just  before 
the  new  harvest,  it  is  very  hard  to  get  owing  to  the  drunken 
habits  of  the  surrounding  natives.  There  was  plenty  in  this  dis- 
trict, so  I gave  the  chief  of  Kano  permission  to  pay  his  outstanding 
tribute  in  kind  instead  of  in  cash,  and  as  the  headman  of  the 
district  was  with  me,  I ordered  the  chief  to  pay  over  a certain 
proportion  to  him  at  once.  Then,  everything  being  apparently 
in  order,  I descended  the  hill  and  had  my  breakfast.  I expected 
that  the  corn  would  be  delivered  within  an  hour  or  so,  but  when 
two  hours  had  passed  and  there  was  still  no  sign  of  any  one  I 
began  to  feel  anxious,  and  thought  it  advisable  to  go  and  see 
what  was  causing  the  delay ; so,  mounting  again,  I rode  back  towards 
the  hill.  And  my  anxiety  was  increased  when  on  coming  nearer 
I heard  sounds  of  quarrelling,  and  saw  my  men  coming  down  the 

126 


TRIBUTE  TROUBLES 

hill  without  any  guinea-corn,  and  followed  by  armed  natives.  As 
soon  as  the  latter  saw  me  they  halted,  and  on  joining  my  own  men 
I found  that  they  had  been  turned  out  of  Kano  on  the  advice  of 
two  sub-chiefs  of  another  quarter  of  the  town,  the  further  supply 
of  guinea-corn  having  been  refused,  of  course,  at  the  same  time. 

The  crowd  of  armed  natives  on  the  rocks  above  us  was  increas- 
ing every  minute,  and  it  was  imperative  to  act  immediately,  for  we 
were  within  arrow  range  from  that  height,  so  giving  orders  for  the 
carriers  to  move  on  at  once  I fell  in  the  escort  and  gave  the  Kano 
men  a volley  which  dispersed  them  and  put  an  end  to  their  idea 
of  attacking  us.  We  waited  for  a few  minutes  to  see  if  they  would 
come  on  again,  but  they  had  evidently  had  enough,  and  we  saw 
them  moving  off  to  better  cover  farther  away.  I was  rather 
afraid  that  they  might  make  a detour  and  attack  the  party  of 
carriers  farther  on,  for  the  low  bush  in  this  part  of  the  country 
would  have  made  it  easy  for  them  to  have  eluded  the  escort,  and 
I had  learnt  enough  of  native  tactics  to  beware  of  a cunning  attack 
on  a flank,  so  we  moved  off  to  guard  it.  However,  there  was  no 
further  trouble,  and  after  having  camped  at  the  friendly  town  of 
Kirti  we  passed  on  the  following  day  through  Fada  Kagoma,  and 
returned  to  Kajji  country. 

The  people  of  Kano  are  supposed  to  be  good  fighters,  and  they 
are  said  to  have  fought  three  Yesko  towns  double  their  size,  their 
superiority  being  due  to  the  fact  that  they  have  a particularly 
strong  arrow  poison — at  least,  so  I was  told  by  the  Mada(i)ki, 
though  I have  not  seen  any  of  it  myself.  The  Mada(i)ki  also  said 
that  the  fact  that  we  had  gone  to  Baddi  from  Kano,  and  vice  versa , 
was  sufficient  to  make  us  suspected  at  both  places,  for  the  people 
of  each  town  thought  we  were  friends  of  the  other,  and  therefore 
enemies  to  them,  since  the  towns  are  in  a state  of  intermittent  war- 
fare. That  is  the  most  difficult  thing  in  dealing  with  natives. 
One  knows  what  one’s  own  intentions  are,  but  one  seldom  knows 
what  the  natives  will  think  they  are,  and  some  apparently  un- 
important point  puts  quite  a different  construction  on  one’s  actions. 
It  is  a matter  of  regret  to  me  that  I was  not  able  to  visit  this 
particular  part  again ; Kano  paid  up  in  full  later  in  the  year  on 
hearing  that  I was  in  the  district  (we  had  wounded  two  people,  so 

127 


TRIBUTE  TROUBLES 


we  were  told  afterwards),  and  I suppose  Yesko  has  since  been 
brought  under  control.  I asked  for  a large  escort  to  accompany 
me  the  following  month,  as  there  were  several  towns  which  defied 
our  authority,  but  it  was  refused. 

Fada  Kagoma  is  the  head  town  of  the  tribe  of  that  name,  as 
will  be  evident,  being  situated  on  a chain  of  hills  which  runs  from 
Kano  and  Jagindi  into  Zaria  territory.  It  had  not  been  giving 
trouble  lately,  though  the  people  were  at  one  time  very  truculent, 
and  as  I had  been  there  so  recently  I did  not  stay  more  than  a 
couple  of  hours  for  breakfast  and  for  a talk  with  the  chief  and 
the  headman  of  the  district,  a Jemaan  Daroro  man. 

The  houses  of  the  Kagoma  are  like  those  of  the  Kagoro  and 
Kajji,  but  the  language  is,  I believe,  quite  different ; at  least  the 
people  say  so,  and  a few  words  and  sentences  which  I tried  cer- 
tainly were.  The  unmarried  girls  wear  a little  apron,  consisting 
of  a fringe  of  string,  dyed  blue  and  ornamented  with  cowries,  the 
married  ones  having  a very  short  cloth,  about  a foot  in  width, 
around  the  loins,  as  do  the  Yeskwa.  The  lips  are  not  pierced,  nor 
are  tails  worn,  so  I fancy  the  similarity  in  the  building  of  the 
houses  is  merely  a coincidence ; the  people,  too,  say  they  have 
quite  a different  origin.  The  men  wear  the  universal  cloth  or  skin 
loin-covering.  I did  not  see  any  dye-pits  in  the  towns,  and  I fancy 
that  the  people  must  buy  the  colouring  matter  from  the  Hausawa, 
who  are  experts,  Jemaan  Daroro  having  several  pits  in  the  market- 
place (and  a nasty,  bitter  smell  they  have),  while  the  sound  of 
beating  the  cloths  afterwards  can  be  heard  everyday  in  that  town. 

On  my  return  to  Fada  Kajji,  I found  the  Resident  from  the 
Zaria  side  there,  and  we  settled  some  border  quarrels  and  de- 
limited a boundary.  The  patrol  against  the  robber  town,  however, 
had  been  abandoned,  as  when  the  Governor  had  passed  north 
towards  Zaria  a little  while  before  with  a caravan  of  some  500 
men,  the  chief  had  gone  to  him  and  had  expressed  his  sorrow. 
The  great  man  was  able  (in  theory)  to  do  in  a moment  what  the 
Resident,  who  had  lived  in  the  district  for  some  portion  of  his 
previous  tour  also,  and  knew  the  people  well,  had  failed  to  do  in 
some  months,  and  his  Excellency  cancelled  the  proposed  opera- 
tions, saying,  “ The  chief  is  sorry  ; there  will  be  no  more  trouble.” 

128 


TRIBUTE  TROUBLES 

And  of  course  there  was  not,  at  least  not  until  the  Governor  and 
his  large  escort  had  passed,  but  only  a week  later  there  was  another 
case,  a bad  one.  However,  the  Resident  cleverly  managed  to  get 
hold  of  the  culprits  and  to  clap  them  safely  in  prison,  and  there 
was  no  doubt  about  their  repentance  and  their  inability  to  give 
more  trouble  after  that.  I wonder  if  His  Excellency  ever  heard 
the  comments  of  the  men  on  the  spot  as  to  his  wondrous  powers 
(in  theory)  of  judging  men  without  having  had  any  acquaintance 
with  them.  I do  not  think  so ! 

I had  now  fifteen  soldiers  and  four  policemen  with  me,  and  so 
I went  to  Moroa  again  to  attack  Zankam,  but  on  my  arrival  at 
Akut  I was  met  by  the  chief,  who  brought  his  tribute,  and  said 
that  the  whole  trouble  was  due  to  the  sub-chief  of  one  quarter 
only,  and  that  all  the  rest  of  the  town  had  paid  in  full.  This 
being  so.  I set  out  early  with  the  intention  of  catching  the  trouble- 
some  sub-chief,  but  he  had  got  wind  of  it,  and  although  it  was 
before  daylight  when  I got  there,  his  compound  was  bare,  so  I 
had  to  content  myself  with  burning  down  his  house.  This,  con- 
sidered as  an  actual  punishment,  is  nothing,  although  it  sounds 
so  dreadful,  for,  palm  fronds  and  grass  being  plentiful,  the  roofs 
can  be  renewed  in  a day  or  two,  but,  as  a sign  of  ability  to 
punish,  it  is  very  often  quite  useful.  A truculent  chief  may  often 
persuade  his  followers  to  oppose  the  Government,  alleging  that 
he  is  much  too  powerful  to  be  attacked,  or  that  the  charms  in  his 
house  will  keep  off  any  Whitemen  ; but  when  the  followers  see  him 
hiding,  and  his  house  in  flames,  he  loses  a good  deal  of  his  evil 
influence.  The  only  time  the  burning  can  be  a real  hardship  is 
when  it  is  done  at  the  commencement  of  the  wet  season,  for  then 
the  grass  is  too  short  to  be  of  any  use  for  roofing. 

One  stratagem  having  failed,  it  was  necessary  to  try  another, 
and  the  police  constable,  whose  bravery  at  Toff  I have  mentioned 
in  an  earlier  chapter,  now  did  a very  plucky  thing  which  deserves 
mention.  I left  him  behind  when  leaving  for  Jemaan  Daroro 
before  daybreak  next  day,  and  as  he  hid  in  Abomong’s  house 
until  dark,  no  one  knew  that  he  had  not  gone  with  me.  Of 
course  the  news  of  my  departure  spread,  and  the  sub-chief 
returned  that  dav  to  his  house  and  re-roofed  a room  to  sleep 

129  I 


TRIBUTE  TROUBLES 

in,  and  the  constable,  disguising  himself  as  a trader,  went  over 
during  the  night  and  arrested  him.  I gave  him  six  months’ 
imprisonment  in  the  Kajji  gaol  — where  he  was  joined  soon 
afterwards  by  his  captor,  I am  sorry  to  say — and  he  returned 
some  time  before  I left,  apparently  full  of  the  greatest  admira- 
tion for  those  whom  he  had  once  wanted  to  fight.  On  my 
last  visit  to  Moroa  he  met  me  with  presents  of  food  in  his 
hands,  and  a broad  grin  on  his  face,  apparently  a much  greater 
person  then  (on  account  of  his  knowledge  of  the  wonderful 
doings  of  the  Whitemen  in  Keffi)  than  he  had  ever  been  before 
— but  with,  I am  glad  to  say,  a better  private  understanding 
of  the  limitations  of  his  own  powers,  though  I am  quite  ready 
to  believe  that  he  did  not  explain  this  fully  to  his  followers. 


ISO 


CHAPTER  XI 


HABITATIONS 

THE  houses  of  the  Kagoro,  Moroa,  Kajji,  Katab,  Jaba  and 
Kagoma  tribes  are  of  a peculiar  shape,  being  more  oblong 
than  round,  the  roof  at  first  sight  looking  as  if  it  had 
originally  been  conical  and  upright,  but  had  been  blown  to  one 
side,  for  the  peak  points  in  a slanting  direction,  and  not  straight 
up.  The  dwelling-houses  are  built  of  red  or  black  mud,  the 
walls  usually  much  thinner  than  one  would  expect,  judging 
by  the  size  of  the  house,  being  only  from  three  to  four  feet 
high,  and  the  same  height  all  the  way  round ; but  many  are 
larger  or  narrower  in  proportion  to  their  width,  and  many  are 
much  smaller  than  this,  the  ground  plan  of  the  larger  houses  being 
on  an  average  thirty  feet  by  eighteen  feet.  Each  has  one  central 
door,  or  in  a few  cases,  two,  opening  from  the  front  of  the  house 
(where  the  roof  is  lowest),  into  the  compound,  each  wife  having 
a separate  building  for  herself  and  her  family.  There  is  a 
porch  or  hall  extending  along  the  whole  width  of  the  house 
where  wood  is  kept,  and  a verandah  outside  that  where  the 
people  take  shelter  during  the  day  in  wet  weather.  When  it 
is  fine,  they  sit  outside  on  palm  logs  let  into  the  ground.  It 
is  rather  peculiar  that  these  people  seldom  seem  to  sit  or 
squat  on  the  bare  ground  like  most  natives ; they  nearly 
always  have  some  form  of  stool  when  in  their  own  compounds. 
Of  course,  when  away  from  home,  they  have  perforce  to  sit 
on  the  ground,  but  they  do  not  do  this  if  they  can  help  it. 
The  porch  has  a doorway  from  two  and  a half  to  three  feet 
high,  in  the  shape  of  a half-hoop,  which  may  be  closed  by  a 
curtain  of  string,  something  like  those  of  Japanese  make  so 
common  in  England,  or  by  a stiff  grass  mat  which  slides  in 
grooves  specially  made  in  the  wall,  or  there  may  be  no  pro- 

131 


HABITATIONS 

tection.  Between  the  porch  and  the  sleeping  compartment 
there  will  always  be  a mat  or  a blind,  fixed  in  a similar  way. 

The  plan  of  the  houses  reminded  me  very  much  of  that 
of  a Canadian  Pacific  Railway  sleeping  - car,  the  verandah 
resembling  the  open-air  platform  for  observation,  and  the  porch 
(where  the  fire  is)  the  smoking-room  and  the  washing-room, 
or  the  conductor’s  room,  where  there  is  often  some  kind  of 
heating  apparatus.  Then  comes  a central  passage  into  which 
open  two  compartments,  one  on  each  side,  which  can  be  com- 
pared to  sleeping-berths,  and,  in  fact,  they  are  used  as  bedrooms, 
that  on  the  one  side,  always  the  right  apparently,  having  a 
bed  of  palm  fronds  or  bamboos  raised  about  a foot  from  the 
floor  for  the  use  of  the  husband  when  he  sleeps  in  the  house, 
the  opposite  room  being  for  the  rest  of  that  particular  wife’s 
family.  Then  farther  on,  at  the  end  of  the  central  passage, 
is  a circular  room,  in  the  centre  of  which,  and,  in  fact,  filling 
most  of  the  space,  is  a large  earthenware  vase  for  holding  grain. 
This  will  be  built  on  stones  as  a protection  against  white  ants, 
and  there  may  be,  in  addition,  smaller  granaries,  reaching  to 
the  ceiling  which  connects  the  tops  of  the  walls  with  the  vessels, 
and  has  a man-hole  to  allow  the  inmates  to  pass  up  and  take 
the  corn  (for  these  granaries  only  open  at  the  top),  or  to  hide 
themselves  in  case  of  attack.  The  dome  of  the  roof  is  over 
this  granary,  so  as  to  give  room  for  the  people  to  climb  up, 
and  also  so  that  the  smoke  will  collect  there,  and  not  only  kill 
the  insects,  but  also  keep  the  rest  of  the  roof  of  the  house  clean. 
There  is  no  chimney  of  any  kind,  but  none  is  required,  for 
the  smoke  naturally  goes  to  the  highest  part,  and  from  there 
escapes  through  the  thatch,  and  at  first  sight  one  would  think 
the  houses  were  on  fire. 

A man  can  build  or  farm  where  he  likes  on  unoccupied  land, 
though  he  will  usually  erect  his  house  as  near  as  possible  to 
that  of  his  father  for  the  sake  of  mutual  protection,  unless 
they  have  quarrelled.  I am  not  quite  sure  if  the  joint  family 
system  is  as  strongly  developed  amongst  the  Kagoro  as  with 
the  Kajji;  but  in  the  case  of  this  latter  tribe,  it  seemed  to  be 
flourishing,  a very  good  example  being  in  Mersa,  where  the 

132 


The  walls  of  these  houses  are  onlv  about  three  feet  in  height,  and  the  doors  are  so  low  that  the  inmates  have  almost  to  dive 
into  them  ; in  fact,  when  in  a hurry  they  throw  themselves  flat  on  the  ground  and  crawl  in.  Nevertheless,  they  are  marvellously 
quick  at  disappearing  when  they  think  there  is  any  necessity.  The  roofs  of  these  houses  are  very  well  made. 


HABITATIONS 

chief’s  compound  included  not  only  his  own  wives,  but  those 
of  his  sons  and  nephews  and  their  children.  In  many  towns 
this  system  may  not  hold  except  in  the  case  of  the  chief,  for 
there  are  special  benefits  to  all  parties  in  this  case,  the  chief 
being  thus  more  solidly  supported  in  council,  and  his  household 
being  made  more  difficult  of  attack,  while  his  children  and 
others  naturally  have  more  property  to  divide  amongst  them- 
selves, since  they  share  in  his  perquisites.  In  an  Ayu  town, 
Giddan  Sa(r)rikin  Ambel,  the  chief’s  compound  consisted  of 
nearly  a hundred  houses,  and  in  fact  it  formed  the  whole  town-— 
as  the  name  implies — being  large  enough  to  shelter  nearly  two 
hundred  of  us  when  on  a patrol,  there  being  even  then  plenty 
of  room  to  spare. 

The  father  will  usually  choose  the  site  of  his  son’s  new  house, 
and  will  place  stones  in  circles  or  threes  for  the  granary  to  rest 
upon,  this  being  because  the  walls  are  practically  built  around  it, 
or  perhaps  the  act  may  be  a symbolic  one  to  ensure  good  crops 
and  plenty  to  eat.  The  blood  of  a fowl  is  spilt  on  the  ground  as 
an  offering  to  the  ghosts  of  the  people  already  buried  there  or 
near,  so  that  they  may  leave  the  house  in  peace,  and  then  a few 
leaves  of  a certain  tree  are  put  in  a hole  dug  in  the  spot  chosen  to 
bring  good  luck,  and  are  covered  over  again  with  earth.  After 
that  the  prospective  owner  invites  all  the  important  men  of  the 
quarter,  or  perhaps  even  of  the  whole  village  if  he  be  a chief’s 
son,  and,  of  course,  provides  guinea-corn  beer  ( akann),  without 
which  nothing  of  any  importance  is  done  by  these  thirsty  people — 
though  we  should  not  laugh,  considering  that  our  foundation 
stones  are  usually  laid  to  the  music  of  the  popping  of  corks.  A 
little  (a  very  little)  beer  is  poured  on  the  site  three  times,  accom- 
panied in  each  case  by  an  incantation  invoking  the  blessings  of 
the  particular  person’s  ancestors,  and  the  rest  is  drunk  by  the 
assembled  company. 

However,  when  the  guests  have  drunk  all  they  can  get,  they 
tell  their  host  to  remain  in  peace,  and  wishing  him  luck  they  take 
their  departure,  and  he  commences  building  his  house.  He  starts 
with  the  granary  first,  so  that  the  lower  part  may  get  the  sun 
before  the  walls  shelter  it,  and  also  because,  being  much  higher 

1SS 


HABITATIONS 

than  the  walls,  it  will  take  longer  to  build ; it  being,  as  I have 
said,  in  the  form  of  an  enormous  vase  with  an  opening  at  the 
top,  and  often  eight  feet  or  more  in  diameter.  Then  the  walls 
are  built  in  the  form  of  an  oblong,  though  the  short  end  en- 
circling the  granary  is  rounded. 

After  the  mud  has  become  dry  the  roof  is  put  on,  long  rafters 
of  bamboos  or  palm  fronds  being  first  placed  in  position,  so  as  to 
slope  back  gradually  from  the  front,  and  sharply  from  the  back 
of  the  house,  in  order  that  the  dome  may  be  over  the  granary, 
and  longer  poles  are  therefore  used  for  the  front  face  than  for  the 
rear.  These  poles  are  lashed  together  with  tie-tie,  and  the  whole 
has  then  much  the  appearance  of  a spider’s  web,  for  the  lashings 
are  arranged  in  concentric  circles  from  the  apex.  Grass  stalks, 
about  five  or  six  feet  long,  are  then  joined  together  with  tie-tie 
into  a flat  mat-like  fringe,  which  is  rolled  on  to  the  poles,  begin- 
ning at  the  bottom  of  those  in  front  and  going  at  first  from  side 
to  side,  and  then  round  and  round  the  house  until  the  top  is 
reached,  where  a knob  is  formed,  each  layer  of  grass  being  tied 
to  the  cross-lashings  and  to  the  next  roll.  The  knob  at  the 
top  may  have  a couple  of  sticks  thrust  through  it  horizontally, 
and  at  right  angles,  to  keep  it  on,  and  an  ostrich  egg  or  bottle 
on  the  highest  point  as  a charm. 

The  floors  are  trampled  until  hard,  and  sometimes  charcoal  is 
mixed  with  the  earth  to  harden  and  blacken  it,  while  cowrie  shells 
are  often  inserted  as  ornaments  and  arranged  in  circles  or  66  dice- 
cup  ” patterns.  Sometimes  the  whole  compound  has  a beaten 
floor,  but  this  depends  upon  the  women,  whose  work  it  is,  the 
men  being  responsible  only  for  the  actual  building.  The  outer 
front  wall  of  the  house  is  usually  decorated  in  some  way  or  other, 
even  if  the  ornamentation  goes  no  further  than  a coat  of  red 
earth  or  charcoal,  and  in  some  towns  regular  designs  are 
worked  out. 

Usually  the  Kajji  and  Kagoma  houses  are  much  ahead  of 
those  of  their  neighbours  to  the  east  in  every  way,  for  the  first- 
named  build  their  walls  more  strongly,  make  better  roofs,  and 
they  have  more  idea  of  decoration.  The  designs  are  usually  in 
some  form  of  the  double  triangle  or  dice-cup  pattern,  the  insides 

134 


HABITATIONS 


of  the  triangles  being  painted  black,  or  sometimes  even  hollowed 
out,  and  there  may  be  lines  in  white  or  black  parallel  with  the 
sides  of  the  triangles,  or  radiating  from  the  centre  of  the  dice- 
cup,  dots  in  the  same  colour  being  often  added,  the  patterns  on 
the  houses  reminding  one,  in  some  degree,  of  those  on  the 
abdomens  of  the  women  and  the  chests  of  the  men.  The  door- 
ways may  be  ornamented  by  lines  running  around  the  half- 
hoop, and  all  of  these  may  be  simply  painted  on  the  flat  wall,  or 
a bevel  may  be  first  sunk  by  pressing  sticks,  straight  or  bent  as 
required,  into  the  soft  mud  when  building  the  walls.  One  house 
in  Mersa  had  a window  on  each  side  of  the  door;  but  that  is  the 
only  occasion  on  which  I have  seen  these  extra  apertures,  and  it 
is  just  possible  that  the  owner  (the  chief’s  nephew)  had  copied  the 
windows  from  those  in  the  Europeans’  houses  at  Jemaan  Daroro. 

The  porch  generally  has  a long  trough-like  shelf  running 
right  across  over  the  inner  door,  corresponding  in  this  (to  con- 
tinue the  simile)  to  the  hat-rack,  for  calabashes  and  other  light 
articles  are  placed  in  this — “ It  must  not  be  used  for  heavy 
baggage.”  There  is  usually  a space  around  the  house  between 
the  top  of  the  wall  and  the  grass  roof,  though  sometimes  extra 
mud  is  plastered  on  to  the  top  of  the  wall,  after  the  roof  has  been 
fixed,  so  as  to  fill  up  the  crevices.  Where  this  has  not  been  done, 
there  is  plenty  of  shelf  room,  but  otherwise,  not  only  the  porch 
but  the  other  rooms  also  may  be  furnished  with  troughs.  Sticks 
or  horns  are  stuck  in  the  wall  as  pegs  on  which  to  hang  bows  and 
arrows,  &c.,  and  I have  also  seen  a hanging-hook  of  wood,  some- 
thing like  a swizzle-stick,  or  an  umbrella  frame  upside  down. 
These  hooks  are  simply  cut  from  the  forks  of  small  trees,  and 
are  not  improved  in  any  way,  but  they  seem  to  act  well  enough 
for  all  ordinary  requirements,  for  these  people,  having  no  clothes, 
have  but  little  to  hang. 

Low,  solid,  wooden  stools,  cut  from  a log,  often  furnished  with 
a handle  (and  possibly  meant  to  resemble  a dog),  are  used  in  the 
houses,  and  in  the  courtyards  also  by  women  when  cooking, 
though  half-sunken  palm  logs  form  seats  for  the  majority,  and 
big  loose  logs  may  be  arranged  like  forms  around  a fire  in  the 
centre  of  the  compound  for  the  family  to  sit  upon  in  cold  weather. 

135 


HABITATIONS 

Skulls  of  men,  and  also  of  the  hartebeeste,  antelope,  and  monkey, 
are  strung  on  a piece  of  native  rope  and  hung  up  on  the  outside 
walls  under  the  thatch  to  advertise  the  family’s  prowess,  being 
passed  on  as  family  trophies.  In  the  towns  to  the  north  they  are 
always  hidden  inside  the  houses  now,  so  that  we  may  not  find 
them,  but  when  we  attacked  Jigga  and  Tafa  I found  several 
bunches,  these  clusters  of  human  skulls  being  described  by 
an  author  writing  of  tribes  in  another  part  of  the  world  as 
resembling  bunches  of  grapes,  or  strings  of  onions. 

There  are  some  medicine  houses,  but  no  stranger  is  allowed 
to  go  near  them,  and  in  fact,  their  existence  is  denied,  and,  as  I 
had  no  wish  to  insult  the  places  these  people  considered  holy,  I 
had  to  pretend  that  I believed  the  story  ; but  a large  number  of 
skulls  was  found  in  a cave  behind  Fada  Kagoro  by  the  first 
expedition  against  them.  The  house  at  Mersa,  the  roof  of 
which  was  ornamented  with  an  ostrich  egg,  was  said  to  be  a 
medicine  house.  Blacksmiths  in  some  of  the  Kajji  and  Jaba 
towns  have  round  houses  with  very  high  conical  roofs,  the 
difference  being  due  in  some  respect  to  the  mystery  of  the  iron 
working,  but  the  Kagoro  pay  the  smiths  no  special  reverence, 
and  I believe  the  two  there  before  my  arrival  met  with  rather 
sudden  deaths,  though  the  last  one  could  sleep  in  peace,  for 
he  was  sent  by  me  from  Jemaan  Daroro  to  make  agricultural 
implements  at  the  special  request  of  the  Kagoro  chiefs,  who 
guaranteed  his  safety. 

There  is  very  little  refuse,  the  ashes  being  put  in  the  goat- 
houses,  to  be  used  with  the  droppings  as  manure,  and  the  remains 
of  the  night’s  food  are  usually  eaten  the  following  morning,  or 
are  given  to  the  dogs  or  vultures,  while  any  loose  grain  is  soon 
picked  up  by  the  fowls  and  goats.  Pits,  however,  are  necessarily 
made  when  the  walls  of  the  house  are  being  built,  and  whatever 
refuse  there  may  be  undisposed  of  is  thrown  in. 

In  addition  to  the  granaries  inside  the  houses,  there  are  some 
outside  as  well,  these  being  essentially  the  same  in  construction 
(round  vases  built  on  stones)  as  those  already  described,  except  for 
the  fact  that  they  have  separate  roofs,  but  they  often  present  quite 
a different  appearance,  for  a wall  is  built  from  the  ground  outside 

136 


A Kajji  Compound 

The  earth  is  beaten  hard  to  some  distance  in  front  of  each  house,  and  when  the  compound 
is  small  the  earth  of  the  whole  may  be  thus  hardened.  In  front  of  each  house  are  the 
grinding  stones.  The  young  boys  have  a tuft  of  hair  running  along  the  top  of  the  head, 
the  rest  being  shaved  off. 


HABITATIONS 


the  stones,  to  meet  the  circumference  of  the  granary,  and  this  forms 
a fowl-house,  the  birds  being  between  this  wall  and  the  bottom  of 
the  vase  (and  therefore  not  able  to  get  at  the  corn),  and  having 
their  entrance  near  to  the  ground. 

The  Kagoma  and  Kajji  compounds  are  kept  very  clean,  but 
the  Moroa  and  Kagoro  housewives  are  not  particularly  praise- 
worthy, and  the  air  in  those  parts  is  not  always  as  pure  as  it 
might  be.  A compound  has  a house  for  each  wife,  and,  in 
addition  to  the  conical  goat-houses  and  granaries,  other  huts  for 
the  preparation  of  food,  or  for  stables,  and  there  will  probably 
be  some  caves  near  the  Kagoro  and  Kajji  towns  where  the  people 
can  store  their  grain  and  hide  when  necessity  arises,  but  they 
are  merely  natural  cavities,  and  are  not  improved  and  concealed 
like  those  of  the  Nadu  at  Ayashi,  described  in  a later  chapter. 

No  sacrifices  are  made  by  the  Kagoro  when  building  a house, 
except  for  the  fowl  already  referred  to,  or  when  felling  trees,  and 
in  that  respect  they  are  less  superstitious  than  we  are,  for  there 
are  no  charms  or  coins  placed  among  the  foundations  as  with  us, 
and  there  is  apparently  no  idea  that  the  sacrifice  of  a child  is 
necessary  to  ensure  the  stability  or  the  erection  as  was  the  case 
in  Halle,  even  so  late  as  1843.  The  building  being  an  intrusion 
on  the  spirits’  domain,  Professor  Westermarck  regards  human 
sacrifices  as  being  a kind  of  life  insurance  ! ! 

In  Angwom,  a Ninzam  town,  I saw  a rooster  in  a rather  peculiar 
predicament.  A pot  had  been  let  into  the  ground  just  in  the  centre 
of  the  doorway,  so  that  the  top  of  the  pot  was  level  with  the  floor 
of  the  house,  and  into  this  had  been  put  a rooster,  the  narrow 
neck  of  the  pot  effectually  preventing  any  part  but  his  head  from 
protruding.  Fowls  are  often  kept  in  pots  for  fattening  purposes, 
and  on  my  second  visit  the  rooster  was  missing,  but  in  the 
position  just  described  the  future  meal  can  act  as  a watch-dog 
as  well,  for  no  one  could  pass  into  or  out  of  the  house  without 
disturbing  him.  I do  not  know  that  such  a proceeding  would  be 
popular  in  England,  for  after  about  a month  or  two  the  fowl 
would  begin  to  get  unpleasant,  but  that  would  not  matter  to  the 
ordinary  inland  native,  for  he  would  be  but  little  better  himself 
in  all  probability. 


137 


HABITATIONS 

When  the  building  of  the  house  is  completed,  a meal  of 
porridge  ( tuk ) is  prepared,  and  the  guests  again  assemble, 
though  on  this  occasion  no  beer  is  drunk — or  rather  so  I was 
told,  but  I would  not  insult  them  by  believing  it.  When  all 
have  eaten  and  departed,  the  family  enters  and  lives  happily 
ever  afterwards.  A house  is  reoccupied  on  the  death  of  the 
owner,  if  of  the  Kagoro  or  Moroa  tribe,  but  not  always  if  of 
the  Kajji  or  Jaba  tribe,  the  difference  being  due  possibly  to 
the  fact  that  the  Kagoro  have  but  little  room,  and  the  Moroa 
do  not  want  to  have  larger  compounds  than  they  can  easily 
defend,  while  the  Kajji  and  Jaba  have  plenty  of  space. 

As  I have  said,  the  houses  of  these  tailed  head-hunters  are 
peculiar  in  shape,  and  it  may  be  of  interest  to  note  some  other 
forms  met  with  in  West  Africa,  but  first  I should  mention  that 
the  houses  in  the  Attakka  and  southern  Kagoro  towns  are 
conical  like  those  of  the  Bauchi  plateau,  and  not  oblong  like 
those  just  described. 

In  some  parts  of  the  Hausa  country,  the  mosques  and  the 
houses  of  the  chiefs  are  very  fine  buildings  considering  the 
materials  available.  The  larger  dwellings  are  made  of  mud, 
the  roofs  being  either  flat  and  of  the  same  material,  or  square 
and  sloping,  or  conical,  in  the  two  latter  cases  being  made  of 
grass.  The  whole  house  is  called  the  gidda  by  the  Hausawa,  the 
separate  huts  da(i)ki  or  zanre , and  the  wall,  fence,  or  stockade, 
bango , damfammi , or  fcaffi  respectively,  the  last  word  giving  its 
name  to  many  towns. 

The  first  step  necessary  for  the  erection  of  a house  is  to  clear 
the  ground,  the  next  to  mark  it  out,  and  this  latter  may  be  done 
with  sticks,  or  in  the  case  of  a round  house  with  string,  and  then 
the  plan  is  drawn  on  the  ground  by  the  chief  builder,  who  drags 
one  foot  along  the  marks  so  that  they  become  wider  and  more 
distinct,  hoes  or  shovels  being  afterwards  used  to  make  these 
depressions  deep  enough  to  take  the  first  layer  of  mud  “ bowls  ” 
of  which  the  walls  will  be  built. 

The  next  step  in  the  building  of  a mud  house  is  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  material.  The  earth,  having  been  mixed  with  water, 
is  trodden  and  kneaded  and  left  for  a day  or  two,  and  it  may  then 

138 


The  Yoruba  house  is  rather  like  a terrace,  a large  roof  and  verandah  covering  a number  of  rooms  built  side  by  side. 


HABITATIONS 

be  made  into  sun-dried  bricks  or  be  simply  moulded  into  rough 
balls  about  the  size  of  a bowl,  being  brought  from  the  pit  to  the 
builders  by  men  on  pieces  of  wood,  or  anything  which  may  be 
handy.  These  “bowls11  are  laid  in  a line  in  the  excavation, 
another  line  or  two  is  placed  on  top,  and  loose  mud  is  then 
pressed  into  the  crevices  between  the  lumps  and  squared  off*,  thus 
leaving  the  sides  quite  straight.  Some  walls,  especially  those  of  a 
large,  square  house,  will  require  several  rows  of  these  bowls  or 
bricks,  but  one  row  is  enough  for  those  of  the  ordinary  round  hut, 
the  process  being  repeated  as  often  as  is  necessary  to  bring  them 
to  the  required  height.  I have  never  seen  any  scaffolding  erected  ; 
as  the  walls  grow  the  builders  climb  up  and  squat  on  them  (if  too 
high  to  be  reached  by  men  standing  on  the  ground,  or  on  boxes 
or  tree  stumps),  and  as  the  higher  the  walls  are  to  be,  the  thicker 
they  will  usually  be  made  also,  there  is  plenty  of  room  for  the 
builders  to  squat  on  the  top. 

The  building  must  be  done  in  the  dry  season  to  be  any  good, 
else  the  mud  will  be  too  damp  to  bind  properly,  and,  so  as  to  give 
each  layer  plenty  of  time  to  dry,  the  walls  are  usually  raised  but  a 
foot  or  two  each  day.  Should  the  work  have  to  take  place  during 
the  “ rains,11  however,  plaited  grass  protections  are  laid  along  the 
top  of  the  walls  to  keep  off*  the  water. 

Only  the  mosques  and  the  largest  houses  are  square  among 
the  Hausawa  and  Filani,  and  they  may  have  flat  roofs  built 
wholly  of  mud,  with  tin  or  bark  spoutings  to  carry  off  the  rain 
water  from  the  roofs,  but  the  Yoruba  nearly  always  use  this  form, 
though  with  high,  sloping  grass  roofs. 

With  a grass  house,  after  the  forked  poles,  bamboos  or  palm- 
ribs,  and  grass  have  been  collected,  the  rate  of  erection  is  simply  a 
question  of  how  quickly  the  builders  can  work.  A small  hut,  with 
walls  from  four  to  five  feet  high,  can  be  put  up  in  a couple  of  hours, 
or  even  less,  and  the  weather  makes  no  difference — though  it  is,  of 
course,  preferable  to  have  the  floor  quite  dry  at  the  time,  other- 
wise it  will  be  a long  time  before  it  becomes  so,  as  the  sun  cannot 
get  at  it.  I had  a house  in  Ilorin  built  during  the  rainy  weather, 
the  walls  of  which  exuded  a green  slime  daily,  with  the  result  that 
I was  soon  invalided  home. 


159 


HABITATIONS 


After  the  ground  has  been  cleared  and  marked  out  as  before, 
holes,  some  one  to  two  feet  deep,  are  dug  at  intervals  of  a yard  or 
so  around  the  circumference,  and  forked  posts  of  the  required 
height  are  placed  in  them,  arranged  so  that  the  forks  will  be 
on  about  the  same  level  all  the  way  round.  A number  of  long 
supple  withes  (especially  if  the  house  be  circular)  and  stouter 
poles  are  then  laid  in  the  forks  horizontally,  in  order  to  connect 
the  uprights,  and  are  bound  to  them  with  tie-tie  (bark  or 
native  string),  so  as  to  make  the  whole  as  rigid  as  possible.  Other 
cross-pieces  are  then  tied  in  parallel  rows  below  these  right  down 
to  the  ground,  and  long  grass  may  now  be  placed  upright  against, 
and  outside  of,  these  cross-pieces,  being  secured  by  other  cross- 
pieces outside  of  it  again.  Lastly,  a trench  is  made  around  and 
a foot  or  so  away  from  the  house,  the  earth  being  thrown  on  to 
the  lowest  part  of  the  grass,  so  as  to  make  the  dwelling  proof 
against  rain  streams,  in  the  same  way  as  we  protect  our  tents. 
Sometimes  large  grass  mats  are  used  instead  of  the  loose  grass, 
in  which  case  the  lower  cross-pieces  may  be  dispensed  with,  and 
fences  are  made  in  the  same  way.  The  roofs  are  usually  put  on 
before  the  grass  is  arranged  on  the  walls,  but  it  is  easier  to  finish 
the  description  of  this  part  of  the  subject  before  going  on  to 
another,  so  the  proper  order  has  not  been  strictly  adhered  to. 

When  building  a large  grass  house,  or  a mud  house  with  a 
verandah,  the  framework  of  the  roof  would  have  to  be  erected  at 
about  the  same  time  as  the  forked  posts  are  set  up,  for  all  would 
be  connected  together.  With  a square  house,  two  or  more  (with 
a large  round  house,  one)  stout  forked  posts,  high  enough  to  give 
the  proper  pitch  to  the  roof,  are  erected  in  the  centre  line  and  are 
connected  by  a long  cross-piece  lying  on,  and  bound  to,  the  forks, 
as  before.  These  and  the  cross-piece  are  then  connected  with  the 
shorter  uprights  by  other  slanting  poles — generally  bamboos  or 
palm-ribs  ip  the  large  houses,  smaller  palm-stalks,  or  perhaps  even 
guinea-corn  stalks  in  the  very  small  ones — which  are  again 
connected  with  each  other  by  more  cross-pieces,  the  whole,  which 
now  has  the  appearance  of  lattice-work,  being  securely  bound.  In 
the  case  of  a high  house  these  tanka,  as  they  are  called,  are  first 
tied  on  near  the  bottom,  the  builders  gradually  working  upwards 

140 


HABITATIONS 


and  using  each  line  like  a rung  in  a ladder  until  they  reach  the 
top,  when  the  projecting  pieces  are  cut  off  or  bent  over. 

The  longer  the  grass,  the  easier  is  the  thatching,  and  the  better 
it  will  be ; it  is  usually  about  three  to  five  feet  long  when  ready 
for  use.  While  the  builders  have  been  at  work,  other  men  have 
joined  the  grass  stalks  together  with  igia  or  tie-tie,  making  a 
kind  of  fringe  which  is  rolled  up  like  stair  carpets  and  stacked 
ready  to  hand,  and  on  the  completion  of  the  framework,  the  rolls 
are  passed  up  to  the  men  above,  who  unroll  the  grass  over  the 
tanka , and  either  tie  it  (now  known  as  burnt)  or  pin  it  with  short 
sticks  called  kinni.  This  is  also  commenced  at  the  bottom — as 
with  our  slate  or  tin  roofs — and  over  the  ridge  at  the  top  is 
placed  a wide  layer  of  plaited  grass  like  that  described  as  being 
used  on  the  walls  when  building  in  wet  weather.  The  framework 
of  the  roof  of  a small  house  is  usually  put  together  on  the  ground 
(perhaps  being  even  thatched  there),  and  it  is  then  lifted  bodily 
on  to  the  mud  wall  or  uprights  by  half-a-dozen  men. 

In  the  case  of  a grass  house,  the  doorway  is  simply  the  space 
left  uncovered  between  two  of  the  uprights,  but  in  a mud  build- 
ing a proper  lintel  is  made  by  placing  a stick  or  two  across  the 
top  of  the  opening,  long  enough  to  rest  securely  upon  the  wall  on 
each  side,  mud  being  placed  on  the  top  of  this,  and  building  going 
on  as  before.  Windows,  if  wide,  are  made  in  the  same  way,  but 
in  the  native  houses,  when  they  exist  at  all,  they  are  mere  slits  or 
holes,  and  so  no  special  treatment  is  necessary. 

The  doorway  is  closed  sometimes  with  a roughly-made  wooden 
or  grass  door  kept  in  place  by  hinges  or  by  a cross  pole,  but  in  most 
cases,  a mat,  a cloth,  or  a string  blind  serves  the  purpose.  The 
floor  will  be  stamped  and  beaten  hard,  when  it  is  known  as  debbi , 
and  may  be  blackened  with  a solution  obtained  from  the  locust-tree 
or  charcoal,  while  the  walls  may  be  whitewashed  with  bone  dust  or 
white  earth,  reddened  vrith  red  earth,  or  it  may  be  blackened  like 
the  floor. 

To  the  house  proper  many  additions  may  be  made.  As  with 
the  head-hunters,  outside  hut-like  structures  raised  on  stones  to 
keep  out  white  ants,  and  perhaps  two-storied,  are  built  for  grain, 
while  smaller  ones  are  placed  inside  the  house.  There  is  also  a 

141 


HABITATIONS 

lodge  or  zaure  opening  on  to  the  street,  where  attendants  generally 
live  and  are  at  hand  to  announce  a visitor ; the  zaure , in  many 
cases,  also  acting  as  a stable.  A small  porch  or  verandah  may  be 
built  over  the  door  of  the  zaure , or  of  any  of  the  huts.  Beehives 
are  usually  at  a distance,  and  may  be  made  of  long  stripes  of  bark 
cut  in  the  form  of  a cylinder,  or  of  gourds  or  earthenware  pots. 
Each  wife  has  her  separate  hut,  the  husband  having  a larger  one 
which  is  probably  nearer  the  zaure , and  the  whole  will  be  surrounded 
by  a wall  or  fence.  In  markets,  or  at  halting-places,  little  grass 
shelters  are  run  up  for  the  protection  of  the  travellers,  but  such  con- 
sideration is  usually  misplaced,  for  natives,  being  particularly 
feckless  folk,  will  pull  out  the  grass  at  night  to  make  a fire,  though 
knowing  full  well  that  they  may  want  the  shelter  badly  a week  hence. 

Europeans  have,  of  course,  tried  to  improve  the  local  condi- 
tions and  methods,  and  it  is  usual  for  them  to  have  an  extra  outside 
roof  covering  two  or  three  complete  huts,  the  verandah,  therefore, 
having  one  roof,  the  rooms  two.  In  many  ways  such  a house  is  pre- 
ferable to  a bungalow,  for  the  natives  make  but  little  noise  when 
moving  about,  and  mud  is  cooler  than  wood,  but  insects  find  a 
more  congenial  habitation  in  a hut,  and  the  earthen  floor  and 
walls  are  very  hard  to  keep  clean. 

In  Ashanti  I noticed  that  the  ordinary  houses  were  formed  of 
small  one  or  two-roomed  oblong  blocks,  usually  four  arranged  in 
the  form  of  a cross.  They  were  built  of  wattle  and  daub,  and,  as 
the  work  was  well  done,  and  the  floors  were  raised  above  the 
ground,  I generally  found  them  very  dry.  They  had  one  draw- 
back, however,  and  that  was  their  publicity,  for  the  wall  facing 
the  compound  was  seldom  more  than  a couple  of  feet  high,  and 
whenever  I tried  to  bathe  or  dress,  there  was  always  a crowd  of 
wondering  (and  let  me  hope,  admiring)  males  and  females  to 
watch  the  operations.  Any  performance  they  could  not  under- 
stand they  would  watch  in  silence,  or  perhaps  whisper  questions  to 
each  other,  but  any  act  resembling  something  which  they  did 
themselves — like  cleaning  the  teeth,  for  instance — was  greeted 
with  loud  applause  and  broad  smiles  of  appreciation.  That  was 
eleven  years  ago ; I fear  there  is  not  much  that  they  do  not  know 
now  about  Europeans. 

142 


HABITATIONS 


The  Hausas  are  very  fond  of  riddles  and  proverbs,  and  it  is 
only  natural  that  many  should  refer  to  their  domestic  conditions. 
The  best  known  riddles  are : 44  My  mare  is  in  foal,  but  I do  not 
ride  her ; I ride  the  foetus.”  Answer,  a hut  with  a bed.  44  The 
owner  is  in  his  house,  but  his  beard  is  outside  ” — fire  and  smoke. 
Of  proverbs,  the  following  are  examples  : — 44  Does  the  rack  (of 
string  fastened  to  the  roof)  remain  if  the  roof  is  blown  away  ? ” 
which  comes  to  mean,44  Will  a good  woman  refuse  to  accompany  her 
husband  should  he  go  to  another  town  to  live?”  44  The  one  who 
lives  in  the  house  knows  where  the  roof  leaks,”  i.e.  44  the  heart 
knoweth  its  own  bitterness,”  or  the  wearer  knows  where  the  shoe 
pinches.  44  Though  a naked  man  may  be  ignored  on  the  feast-day 
he  will  be  sought  after  when  building  is  on” — compare  Kipling’s 
44  thin  red  line  of  heroes  when  the  drums  begin  to  roll.”  44  The 
only  prevention  against  fire  is  to  have  two  houses.”  Grass  is,  of 
course,  easily  inflammable,  but  the  cooking  is  usually  done  inside 
the  huts.  44  The  small  pot  (the  wife)  goes  to  and  fro,  but  the  big 
pot  (the  husband)  remains  at  home  ” — i.e.  does  no  work.  Yet  we 
think  that  we  can  teach  them  the  dignity  of  labour  ! 


143 


CHAPTER  XII 


SOME  EXCITING  ARRESTS 

THE  Ninzam,  a tribe  to  the  south  of  Jemaa,  which  I have 
mentioned  before,  had  been  truculent  for  a long  time. 
Some  of  these  towns,  also,  had  not  paid  tribute  for  a couple 
of  years,  and  as  no  steps  had  been  taken  against  them,  other 
towns  had  given  out  that  they,  too,  would  cease  their  payments. 
Slave-raiding  was  rife  amongst  them,  the  worst  offender  being 
Awudu,  the  chief  of  Ungual  Kaura  (“  the  town  of  Kaura,”  named 
after  its  founder),  and  he  had  just  added  the  murder  of  his  wife 
to  his  little  list  of  accomplishments.  Moreover,  some  of  the 
towns  had  been  fighting  amongst  themselves,  and  quite  a goodly 
casualty  list  was  reported. 

The  Ninzam  are  a hot-tempered  people,  and  when  there  is 
no  common  enemy  to  combine  against,  they  indulge  in  private 
dress  rehearsals  amongst  themselves,  though  these  little  differ- 
ences are  soon  over,  the  combatants  usually  killing  or  wounding 
not  more  than  a couple  on  each  side  perhaps — nothing  to  speak 
of,  of  course.  Apparently,  though,  they  are  rather  cowardly, 
when  not  full  of  beer  (the  cause  of  most  of  their  internal 
quarrels),  for  we  had  but  very  little  resistance  later  in  the  year — 
however  I must  not  anticipate. 

I left  Jemaan  Daroro  on  the  10th  of  March  and  went  to 
Sanga,  a town  about  twelve  miles  off,  where  I camped  for  the 
night,  the  chief  of  Sanga,  who  was  the  Headman  of  the  District 
of  Ninzam,  having  been  warned  to  accompany  us  from  there. 
He  himself  had  been  driven  out  of  two  Ninzam  towns  where  he 
had  gone  to  collect  tribute,  and  a messenger  of  his  had  been 
wounded  in  another,  so  it  was  time  to  support  his  authority  in 
some  way  or  other.  I had  repeatedly  asked  for  a patrol  through 
the  country,  but  the  sanction  was  not  forthcoming  for  various 

144 


SOME  EXCITING  ARRESTS 

reasons,  so  I had  to  do  what  I could  for  myself,  though  I was 
doubtful  if  it  would  be  much. 

I had  my  usual  escort  of  eleven  soldiers  and  a couple  of 
policemen,  but  on  this  occasion  the  chief  of  Jemaan  Daroro 
accompanied  me  with  a following  of  some  fifty  men,  who  were 
unarmed,  and,  as  proved  afterwards,  a source  of  danger. 

Just  after  we  had  left  Jemaan  Daroro,  down  came  a tornado, 
and  we  were  soon  made  aware  that  the  rainy  season  had  com- 
menced in  earnest.  There  is  no  doubt  about  the  rain  in  Jemaa ; 
it  pours  down  as  if  from  a watering-can  with  very  large  holes 
close  together,  and  I have  been  three  days  without  seeing  the 
sun,  my  predecessor  having  experienced  even  worse  conditions, 
he  said.  Usually  in  Northern  Nigeria  it  will  rain  very  hard  for 
a few  hours  almost  every  day  from  March  to  October,  then  clear 
up,  and  the  day  will  be  as  bright  as  ever  though  somewhat 
steamy,  but  Jemaa  has  quite  a system  of  its  own,  being  situated 
on  one  side  of  a cup  of  mountains  which  catch  the  rain  in  all 
directions.  For  the  remainder  of  the  year  there  is  no  rain. 

Travelling  is  apt  to  be  somewhat  exciting  in  the  wet,  for  the 
roads  become  gutters,  as  I have  said  before,  and  the  carriers 
continually  stumble  and  slide  about  when  walking  on  soft 
ground,  the  loads  rocking  to  and  fro  in  an  alarming  manner. 
However,  the  men  have  a marvellous  power  of  balance,  and  they 
usually  manage  to  right  themselves  in  time,  and  go  along  with  a 
“ splosh,  splosh,  splosh,1’  as  before.  But,  if  any  one  does  happen 
to  go  down,  the  rest  make  no  secret  of  the  pleasure  such  a sight 
gives  them,  for  they  are  always  ready  to  laugh  at  a man  in  a 
slight  misfortune,  though  they  will  help  him  readily  enough 
should  it  prove  serious.  To  a man  on  horseback,  overhanging 
branches  are  very  dangerous,  and  I was  caught  by  one  (not  for 
the  first  time,  either)  just  as  my  horse  slipped  down  the  bank 
of  a river,  being  left  hanging  over  a mass  of  mud  till  he  was 
brought  back  again  and  placed  underneath  me  so  that  I could 
drop  on  to  him. 

Soon  after  my  arrival  at  Sanga,  I received  the  cheerful  news 
that  my  house  at  Jemaan  Daroro  had  been  unroofed  by  the 
tornado,  and  that  two  of  the  rooms  were  more  or  less  under 

145  K 


SOME  EXCITING  ARRESTS 

water  (more,  I found  out  on  my  return).  However,  there  was 
nothing  to  be  done  at  the  time,  for  I could  not  go  back,  and  I 
heard  that  the  caretaker  had  shifted  the  boxes  to  a water-tight 
hut,  so  I had  to  be  content  with  wondering  what  the  damage 
would  be.  Tornados  play  havoc  with  grass  roofs,  as  can  be 
imagined,  and  I remember  once  in  Ilorin,  when  in  bed  with  fever, 
seeing  a regular  douche  of  water  suddenly  come  through  one  side 
of  the  roof.  Luckily  it  was  a few  yards  away  from  the  bed, 
and  by  shifting  farther  into  the  corner,  and  by  putting  up  a 
ground-sheet,  I could  avoid  the  splash — another  testimonial  to 
this  useful  article  of  kit.  It  was  hopeless,  however,  to  do  any- 
thing to  the  roof  until  the  rain  had  stopped,  and  the  mud  floor 
of  the  hut  might  have  been  the  bed  of  a creek  afterwards ; it  was 
not  really  dry  for  a fortnight. 

Well,  we  left  Sanga  next  day  at  5.40  a.m.,  and  after  having 
passed  through  several  towns,  we  camped  at  Zambar  about 
twelve  miles  off.  Here  I had  to  try  a case  of  wounding,  and  it  is 
perhaps  worth  mentioning,  as  showing  the  Ninzam’s  primitive 
idea  of  responsibility.  It  appeared  that  a certain  youth,  by  name 
Gareba,  had  had  a quarrel  with  a man  of  another  town  (I  forget 
what  about),  and  had  gone  out  looking  for  him  and  for  trouble. 
On  his  way  he  met  Umoru,  a member  of  the  other  man’s  family, 
and  promptly  went  for  him  with  a knife,  and  the  wretched 
Umoru  had  evidently  had  a bad  time.  Gareba  could  not  see 
that  he  had  done  wrong,  for  according  to  the  communal  idea  any 
member  of  a family  is  liable  for  an  offence  committed  by  any 
other  member,  though  it  seemed  to  me  exceedingly  hard  on  the 
innocent  Umoru. 

There  appeared,  however,  to  be  some  right  on  Gareba’s  side 
as  to  the  original  quarrel,  but  I had  to  try  to  introduce  the 
idea  of  individual  responsibility,  so  I gave  him  a month’s 
imprisonment,  and  pointed  out  that  either  the  District  Head- 
men or  I would  settle  quarrels  between  the  actual  parties  in 
future.  Had  he  been  more  civilised  he  would  have  had  a couple 
of  vears  in  prison.  It  seems  hardly  possible  nowadays  that  the 
same  notion  of  communal  responsibility  was  once  the  rule  in 
England,  and  that  the  difference  between  tort  and  crime  arose 

146 


A Corduroy  Road 

In  many  parts  of  West  Africa  the  ground  is  so  soft  in  the  wet  season  that  travelling  is  difficult 
over  it,  if  not  impossible.  I his  road  was  constructed  for  the  passage  of  the  troops  to  Kumasi  in 
1900;  certain  parts  of  Northern  Nigeria  would  be  much  benefited  by  similar  treatment. 


A Kajji  Granary 

This  is  built  in  the  shape  of  a bowl,  and  is  placed  on  stones  for  legs.  The  top  has  a permanent 
roof  most  of  the  way  up,  and  a removable  cap  (now  removed)  so  as  to  allow  of  access  to  the  grain. 
A low  wall  built  outside  the  stones  at  the  foot  enables  the  vacant  space  to  be  used  for  poultry,  the 
fowl-house  having  a separate  door. 


SOME  EXCITING  ARRESTS 

through  the  notion  that  the  disabling  of  a warrior  injured  the 
chief  (as  representing  the  tribe)  through  depriving  him  of  his 
services,  whereas  a tort  was  a private  wrong.  Even  to-day  the 
king  nominally  prosecutes  criminals,  and  the  victims  cannot 
refuse  to  give  evidence  if  called  upon  to  do  so,  while  civil  actions 
are  brought  by  the  parties  wronged,  on  their  own  initiative. 

Next  morning  we  went  to  Ungual  Kaura,  and  halting  just 
outside  the  town  I sent  for  the  chief.  After  some  delay  he 
came,  and  at  once  putting  him  under  arrest  (somewhat  to  his 
surprise,  I fear),  off  we  moved  towards  Fada  Wate.  Immediately 
there  arose  shouts  and  cries  from  the  town,  and  people  began 
running  out,  and  soon  afterwards  little  bands  of  savages  began 
advancing  across  our  left  rear  and  front  by  a short  cut,  singing 
as  they  went.  I could  distinguish  the  shrill  voices  of  women, 
and  I was  quite  pleased,  picturing  to  myself  the  gratitude  of  the 
people  to  the  Just  and  Great  Whiteman  for  removing  a tyrant. 
But  I was  quickly  disillusioned,  and  in  a most  rude  manner  (I 
wonder  how  often  there  is  a difference  between  what  we  imagine 
the  native  thinks,  and  what  he  really  does  think),  for  back  came 
the  Mada(i)ki  and  the  chief  of  Sanga  at  a gallop  to  say  that  the 
people  were  going  to  attack  us.  “ But,11  said  I,  “ there  are 
women  amongst  them,  and  all  of  them  are  singing.11  “ That 
is  so,11  they  replied,  “but  the  women  accompany  the  men 
here  when  they  are  going  to  fight,  and  they  sing  to  encourage 
them.11 

Being  thus  brought  back  to  earth  again,  I could  see,  on  more 
careful  examination,  that  some  of  the  people  were  armed  (the 
men,  no  doubt,  it  being  extremely  difficult  to  tell  the  sex  of 
these  people  at  a distance,  for  the  women’s  cloths  were  hardly 
larger  than  those  worn  by  the  menfolk),  and  calling  my  little 
escort  together,  I managed  to  frighten  them  off  for  the  time, 
and  so  let  the  carriers  get  into  Fada  Wate. 

This  town  had  been  fighting  with  Ungual  Kaura  during 
the  previous  month,  so  the  headman  thought  that  we  ought 
to  be  safe  there,  but  to  test  the  feeling  of  the  people  I called 
on  the  young  men  to  drive  away  the  Ungual  Kaura  parties, 
and  as  only  about  a dozen  came  fout,  I did  not  rely  too  much 

147 


SOME  EXCITING  ARRESTS 

on  our  chances  of  a quiet  day.  Some  of  the  little  bands  had 
meanwhile  come  up  within  about  a couple  of  hundred  yards  of 
Fada  Wate,  and  there  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  give  them  a 
fright,  so  we  dropped  a few  bullets  amongst  them,  and  scattered 
them  for  the  time  being. 

It  was  now  breakfast  time,  and  after  that  was  over,  I com- 
menced the  trial  of  Awudu  on  the  charge  of  murdering  his  wife, 
and  on  about  nine  different  charges  of  enslaving  and  selling 
women  and  children  whom  he  had  seized  on  the  road.  When 
a man  is  down  there  is  usually  no  lack  of  others  to  kick  him, 
whatever  his  colour,  and  this  case  being  no  exception  to  the  rule, 
there  was  plenty  of  evidence.  I had  got  about  half  through  the 
trial,  when  a report  was  brought  by  the  chief  that  the  people  of 
a town  on  our  right  were  going  to  attack  us. 

It  appeared  that  the  large  town  of  Amar  (not  the  old  Muri 
headquarters,  of  course,  which  is  really  Amara,  but  one  belonging 
to  the  Ninzam  tribe),  had  sent  in  some  goats  as  tribute,  but 
these  had  been  intercepted  by  the  people  of  Ungual  Maitozo  and 
seized  ; that  the  Amar  men  had  been  driven  off,  and  that  the 
nephew  of  the  chief  of  Sanga  had  been  killed.  Ungual  Maitozo 
had  also  been  fighting  with  Fada  Wate  during  the  previous 
month,  so  I still  thought  we  were  fairly  safe,  and  I soon  found 
that,  beyond  sitting  down  armed  on  some  hills  about  half  a mile 
off,  the  people  made  no  attempt  to  attack,  so  after  lunch  I 
proceeded  with  the  trial. 

About  3 p.m.  one  of  the  carriers,  who  had  been  sent  to 
take  over  some  goats  which  the  Mada(i)ki  of  Fada  Wate  said  were 
ready  to  be  delivered  as  tribute,  ran  up  with  blood  spurting  from 
arms  and  neck,  saying  that  he  had  been  wounded,  and  lest  any 
more  evidence  was  needed,  the  chief  of  Sanga  reported,  a few 
minutes  afterwards,  that  he  had  been  in  the  town,  and  had  over- 
heard some  men  saying  that  an  attack  was  to  be  made  on  us 
during  the  night,  and  sure  enough  drums  commenced  beating,  and 
armed  men  began  to  appear  from  the  huts  of  Fada  Wate  itself. 

The  only  thing  to  do  was  to  go.  The  chief  of  Jemaa’s  men 
were  unarmed,  and  my  eleven  soldiers  and  two  policemen  would 
not  have  protected  the  party,  especially  as  we  had  some  twenty 

148 


SOME  EXCITING  ARRESTS 


horses  with  us.  I had  also  to  get  my  prisoners  to  Jemaa  some- 
how, and  had,  therefore,  to  detail  some  one  to  guard  them.  All 
retreat  to  Jemaan  Daroro  was  cut  off  by  Ungual  Kaura  in  one 
direction,  and  by  Ungual  Maitozo  in  another,  so  the  only  way 
open  was  in  front,  but  unfortunately  the  road  had  been  traversed 
by  only  one  of  our  party,  and  he  said  he  could  not  remember 
it.  However,  there  was  no  choice,  and  at  4.20  p.m.  off  we 
moved. 

The  Ninzam  let  us  go  through  their  town,  the  unenterprising 
idiots,  and  we  were  soon  clear,  but  darkness  came  upon  us  while 
we  were  still  in  thick  bush,  and  we  should  have  been  rather  an 
easy  prey  had  they  come  for  us.  We  got  over  the  river  by  the 
light  of  torches  of  dry  grass,  and  then  determined  to  halt  and 
take  our  chance,  being  about  six  miles  from  Fada  Wate.  We 
slept,  ready  to  move  off  at  any  time,  with  double  sentries  on 
the  river,  of  course,  but  (except  for  the  continual  tapping  of 
drums  in  the  distance)  there  was  nothing  to  disturb  us,  and 
we  continued  our  march  soon  after  five  o’clock  next  morning. 

W e found  that  we  had  camped  quite  close  to  a town  belonging 
to  the  Ayu  tribe,  and  that  was  probably  the  reason  we  had  not 
been  attacked.  At  least  I thought  so  at  the  time,  but  I have 
since  doubted  if  the  Ninzam  would  ever  have  come  against 
even  our  small  force  when  once  we  had  got  clear  of  their  district, 
though  there  is  no  doubt  that  they  would  have  attacked  us  had 
we  slept  in  one  of  their  towns,  for  fighting  on  one’s  own  ground, 
and  in  sight  of  one’s  own  people,  makes  a wonderful  difference 
in  the  valour  of  the  warriors  engaged. 

Passing  on,  we  camped  at  the  Giddan  Sa(r)rikin  Ambel 
(“  house  of  the  chief  of  Ambel  ”),  which  was  composed  of  one 
enormous  compound  of  two  long  zaures  or  halls,  and  enough 
small  huts  to  house  about  300  or  400  people,  all  being  occupied 
by  the  chief  and  his  wives  and  children  — the  joint  family 
system  with  a vengeance. 

The  chief  was  a fine-looking  old  native,  who  greeted  me 
with  a 64  Hullo,  Bature,”  repeating  the  English  word  on  every 
possible  appropriate  and  inappropriate  occasion.  He  was  a 
strong  man,  and  proved  rather  obstinate  in  many  ways,  and 

149 


SOME  EXCITING  ARRESTS 

I found  that  he  had  been  taking  tribute  in  our  name  from 
the  people  of  a neighbouring  town,  telling  us  all  the  time  that 
they  were  tawaye  (rebels)  and  would  not  pay.  I therefore  deter- 
mined to  take  him  back  with  me  to  Jemaan  Daroro,  both  on 
account  of  the  example  it  would  be  to  the  other  chiefs,  and  also 
for  the  chance  it  would  give  the  alleged  rebel  chief  to  come 
in  and  tell  his  part  of  the  story. 

Next  morning,  therefore,  I told  him  to  accompany  me,  and 
so  great  was  his  indignation  that  I had  to  arrest  him  at  once. 
We  then  went  on  to  Amanchi,  and  had  only  just  had  breakfast 
when  a rubber  trader  from  Jemaan  Daroro  ran  in  (the  district  is 
rich  in  rubber  and  palm  oil),  saying  that  two  of  them  had  been 
caught  by  an  armed  party  assembling  on  the  far  side  of  a small 
hill,  with  the  object  of  rescuing  their  chief,  and  that  he  himself 
had  managed  to  escape.  A little  while  afterwards  the  chief  of 
Jemaa  reported  that  some  other  rubber  traders  from  his  town  had 
been  murdered  on  our  departure  (which  report  proved  unfor- 
tunately to  be  true),  and  that  the  chief  of  Amanchi  had  dis- 
appeared with  all  his  people.  There  was  no  help  for  it,  we  had 
to  leave  again,  and  we  started  off  at  10.15  a.m.,  camping  at 
Ningishi,  some  eighteen  miles  from  Ambel.  We  were  shot  at 
while  crossing  a stream  just  outside  Amanchi,  but,  except  that 
one  of  the  Jemaa  men  got  an  arrow  through  his  clothes,  no  harm 
was  done  to  us,  and  a little  exchange  of  courtesies  drove  them  off 
with  a couple  of  mementoes,  incidentally  allowing  two  other 
rubber  traders  to  escape  and  join  us. 

After  opening  up  a new  road,  a short  cut  from  the  main  route 
to  Keffi,  we  returned  to  Jemaan  Daroro  on  the  17th  of  March, 
and  I was  not  sorry  to  see  the  old  home  again,  despite  its  dilapi- 
dated appearance.  Had  I had  another  dozen  men  and  a supply 
of  ammunition  we  might  have  made  a stand,  but  the  escort  I had 
was  much  too  small  for  anything  more  than  a running  fight,  the 
men  were  new  to  me  (the  detachment  at  Jemaa  having  been 
changed),  and  I had  not  much  confidence  in  them.  However,  I had 
got  in  a fair  proportion  of  the  outstanding  tribute,  and  had  brought 
back  four  prisoners,  two  being  the  strongest  chiefs  in  Ninzam  and 
Ayu  respectively,  so  on  the  whole  the  tour  was  quite  successful. 

150 


SOME  EXCITING  ARRESTS 

Poor  old  Sa(r)rikin  Ambel ! I gave  him  a month,  if  I remember 
rightly,  in  the  guard-room  under  the  Revenue  Proclamation,  and 
he  died  just  four  days  before  his  sentence  would  have  expired.  He 
had  been  suffering  for  some  time  with  an  internal  complaint,  and  I 
suppose  the  confinement  (or  the  blow  to  his  self-esteem)  made  him 
less  able  to  fight  against  it.  I had  really  released  him  about  a week 
before  the  proper  time  on  account  of  his  illness,  pending  confirma- 
tion from  headquarters,  and  had  put  him  in  charge  of  some  Ayu 
people  in  Jemaa  so  that  he  could  hear  his  own  language  again, 
and  be  cheered  up,  but  without  success.  It  was  very  hard  on  him, 
poor  old  man,  though  it  was,  of  course,  absolutely  his  own  fault ; 
but  it  was  also  bad  luck  for  me,  for  he  was  a brave  and  strong- 
minded  man,  and  after  his  lesson  would  have  proved  a valuable 
ally.  Many  of  these  pagans  die  of  imprisonment,  however,  like 
caged  wild  birds,  often  through  no  complaint  at  all  that  can  be 
diagnosed,  and  simply  because  of  the  confinement. 

The  other  chief,  Awudu,  I had  to  condemn  to  death,  having 
full  judicial  powers:  circumstances  compelled  me  to  carryout  the 
sentence  myself  the  following  June  as  there  was  no  sheriff  available. 
It  was  a nasty  business,  and  I hope  I shall  never  have  to  perform 
a similar  act.  However,  he  was  guilty  up  to  his  eyes,  and  had 
really  committed  enough  crimes  to  hang  half-a-dozen  men,  so 
there  was  no  occasion  to  waste  any  sympathy  on  him.  Still,  taking 
a man’s  life  in  cold  blood  gives  one  a weak  feeling  about  one’s  waist- 
belt  ; it  is  quite  different  in  action,  when  you  know  that  unless 
you  are  too  quick  for  your  enemy  he  will  murder  you,  and  you  do 
not  think  you  are  trying  to  kill  a human  being,  but  merely  that 
you  must  stop  the  advance  of  a dangerous  enemy. 

As  to  Gareba,  he  was  released  in  due  time,  and  was  one  of  the 
first  to  welcome  the  patrol  later,  for  ex-prisoners  are  in  most  cases, 
as  I have  observed  before,  quite  good  friends  afterwards.  And  I 
think  the  fact  is  a great  tribute  to  the  system  of  justice  which 
prevails  in  the  country,  for  after  all,  we  do  not  want  to  make 
enemies  of  those  who  offend  against  our  laws,  especially  when  the 
offenders  cannot  be  called  civilised,  but  our  aim  is  to  teach  them 
some  higher  ideals  than  they  have  learned  from  their  fathers,  and 
strangely  enough,  a gaol  is  one  of  the  best  places  for  the  purpose. 

151 


SOME  EXCITING  ARRESTS 


The  tribes  I had  just  visited  were  all  head-hunters,  and  there 
were  others  with  black  marks  against  them,  who  were  set  down 
for  punishment  by  a patrol  on  some  future  occasion,  so  it  may  be 
of  interest  to  make  some  remarks  on  warfare  from  their  point  of 
view.  There  is  a good  deal  of  similarity  between  their  ideas,  and 
though  the  following  notes  refer  particularly  to  the  Kagoro  people, 
most  of  the  information  will  apply  equally  well  to  the  Waiwai, 
Ninzam,  Nadu,  Ayu,  and  Kibbo. 

There  is  a very  close  connection  between  the  hunting  and  the 
war  parties  of  these  head-hunting  tribes.  A chase  may  be  easily 
turned  into  a battle  when  the  arms  for  both  are  the  same,  even 
amongst  the  hunters  themselves;  and  the  search  for  beasts  may 
develop  into  a hunt  for  men. 

From  the  accounts  given  me  by  the  Kagoro,  it  would  appear 
that  when  they  first  came  to  the  country  they  now  occupy,  they  were 
dependent  on  the  chase  for  their  food,  and  that  they  at  first  lived 
in  caves.  Somehow  or  other  they  discovered  the  bow  and  arrow, 
and  then  they  were  able  to  drive  off’  the  dangerous  and  kill  the 
edible  beasts.  Probably  they  did  not  discover  the  use  of  poison 
for  some  time,  for  the  chief  of  Jemaan  Daroro  assured  me  that 
the  Attakka  learned  it  from  the  Kibbo  only  some  twenty  years 
ago.  Possibly  the  Kagoro  depended  in  early  times  on  the  sling 
and  spear ; the  Gannawarri  even  now  fight  with  the  latter  weapon, 
and  on  horseback. 

There  is  apparently  no  actual  compulsion  on  male  adults  to 
fight  in  case  of  a war,  but,  judging  from  their  general  behaviour,  I 
should  think  that  they  would  be  only  too  glad  to  have  the  chance ; 
a National  Service  League  would  have  a rosy  time  amongst  that 
tribe  ! The  country  is  so  small  that  the  Kagoro  are  always  within 
easy  distance  of  their  towns,  so  they  can  go  out  in  the  early  morn- 
ing— not  too  early  if  the  cold  harmattan  is  blowing — fight  by 
day,  and  return  to  sleep  at  night,  a very  comfortable  arrangement, 
reminding  one  of  the  Concentration  Camps  in  South  Africa. 
They  tried  about  nine  o’clock  one  night  to  surprise  the  patrol  sent 
to  punish  them  in  1908  for  attacking  the  Resident  and  his  escort 
and  wounding  the  officer  in  command,  but  they  were  driven  off’ 
with  some  loss,  and  this  was  the  first  night  attack  known  in  the 

152 


SOME  EXCITING  ARRESTS 

district  up  to  that  time,  but  since  then  there  have  been  several, 
both  the  Mada  and  Nadu  tribes  copying  the  bad  example  in  the 
following  year.  The  warriors  take  food  enough  to  last  them  for 
the  day — though  if  they  are  attacking  another  town  they  usually 
rely  on  getting  something  extra  there — but  if  fighting  near  their 
own  towns  their  women-folk  will  probably  bring  them  something 
extra  to  cheer  them  up. 

There  is  no  need  for  any  permanent  organisation  for  war 
during  peace-time,  for  the  men  are  always  in  excellent  training 
through  hunting  or  farming,  and  they  are  always  prepared  for 
eventualities  since  they  never  leave  their  homes  unarmed,  and 
so  are  constantly  handling  their  weapons.  “ Boy  scouts,1’  too, 
are  a recognised  institution,  being  taught  how  to  attack  and 
take  cover  by  practising  first  with  stones,  and  later  with  toy 
bows  and  arrows,  and  those  who  have  shown  the  right  qualities 
in  these  sham  fights  will  be  noted  for  posts  as  subordinate  leaders 
when  they  grow  up. 

Before  a war  is  decided  upon,  the  priests  and  elders  repair  to 
the  sacred  grove  and  ask  for  the  opinion  of  the  ghosts  upon  the 
question  in  point,  and  as  the  spirits  can  be  approached  only 
through  the  medium  of  beer — of  which,  I fear,  by  far  the  greater 
part  goes  down  the  throats  of  the  men  still  alive,  the  ghosts 
having  to  be  content  with  a few  (a  very  few)  drops  spilt  on  the 
ground — the  reply  is  usually  most  favourable.  A leader,  the 
Agwam  Wuta , is  then  appointed,  and  he  will  probably  be  some 
man  specially  chosen  on  account  of  his  skill  in  arms  and  his 
bravery,  and  not  the  chief  or  a priest,  though  these  men  will 
follow  behind  their  troops,  like  the  Duke  of  Plaza-Toro,  to  cheer 
or  drive  them  on  as  the  case  may  be.  If  in  alliance  with  another 
tribe,  the  general  of  the  tribe  first  starting  the  trouble  would  be 
the  commander  unless  the  ally  was  much  stronger  in  men  and  had 
better  leaders. 

Their  religion  is  conducive  to  warlike  prowess,  fc-r  the 
strongest  on  earth  will  be  the  most  influential  in  the  spirit 
world,  and  also,  the  ghost  of  a slaughtered  enemy  must  serve 
the  ghost  of  him  who  has  taken  the  head.  Again,  the  hero 
is  the  admiration  of  all  the  belles  of  the  village ; and  last,  but 

153 


SOME  EXCITING  ARRESTS 

not  by  any  means  least,  the  effect  of  the  stories  and  songs  of  the 
prowess  and  fame  of  bygone  heroes  must  be  considerable.  I am 
not  sure  if  the  head  of  every  person,  male  or  female,  adult  or 
infant,  is  equally  beneficial,  but  I think  so,  for  I was  told  that 
if  a woman  who  is  enceinte  is  caught  and  killed,  the  head  of  the 
foetus  will  be  taken,  if  old  enough,  as  well  as  that  of  its  mother. 
A case  was  mentioned,  and  the  name  of  the  woman  given  by  the 
chief  of  Jemaa,  and  in  a case  of  highway  robbery  I tried  later, 
one  of  the  witnesses,  a woman,  stated  that  that  was  what  she  was 
afraid  of,  so  I fear  it  is  true.  One  can  easily  believe  it  of  the 
cannibal  Nadu  or  the  cowardly  Ayu,  but  the  Kagoro  seemed  too 
brave  for  that  sort  of  thing ; however,  there  is  no  doubt  that 
they  all  kill  women,  for  I found  some  female  skulls. 

With  the  Moroa,  at  any  rate,  the  most  foul  treachery  is  quite 
justifiable,  for  a case  happened  while  I was  at  Jemaa.  The 
people  of  Babban  Gidda  had  a feast  to  which  they  invited  a 
number  of  Gannawarri,  and  having  made  five  of  their  guests 
drunk,  they  shut  them  up  in  a hut  and  killed  them,  the  rest  of 
the  honoured  guests  managing  to  escape.  The  heads  of  the 
victims  were  then  cut  off*,  and  were  set  up  by  the  chief  in  his 
house  as  a memorial  of  the  gallant  deed,  and  such  was  the 
condition  of  things  when  I heard  of  the  deed. 

I at  once  went  to  Moroa,  and  sent  messages  both  to  the 
principal  Gannawarri  chiefs  and  to  the  Babban  Gidda  people, 
saying  that  I should  settle  the  matter,  and  commanding  the 
people  to  remain  quiet.  The  latter  I knew  I could  deal  with, 
but  the  former  were  warlike  and  were  likely  to  give  trouble, 
especially  as  they  had  killed  and  eaten  a Moroa  chief  on  the 
day  of  my  arrival  (although  he  had  had  nothing  whatever  to  do 
with  the  murder,  but  was  guilty  according  to  the  communal  idea) 
and  were  reported  to  be  celebrating  the  wasan  icukci  (“  sharpening 
the  knife”),  a ceremony  which  was  said  to  lastjfor  three  days  before 
the  opening  of  a campaign.  The  Gannawarri  sent  to  say  that 
they  could  manage  the  affair  quite  well  themselves,  and  the 
Moroa  people  were  so  frightened  that  they  were  escaping  to 
the  towns  of  friendly  tribes,  strings  of  women  laden  with  stores 
being  seen  in  all  directions.  But  even  so,  the  Babban  Gidda 

154 


SOME  EXCITING  ARRESTS 


people  would  not  come  near  me,  so  I went  to  the  town  and 
seized  everything  I could  find.  I then  sent  to  the  Gannawarri 
through  some  Attakka  people  to  say  that  I would  give  them  ten 
sheep  or  goats  and  five  shillings  in  cash  for  every  person  killed,  and 
I went  into  their  country  as  far  as  a certain  tree  which  was  always 
the  scene  of  any  agreements  between  the  two  peoples.  The 
Gannawarri  did  not  turn  up  though,  and  I was  at  a loss  what  to 
do,  but  after  waiting  until  near  sunset,  I tied  up  the  stock  to 
trees  in  the  vicinity,  and  returned  to  camp,  sending  again  to 
the  Gannawarri  to  tell  them  not  to  leave  the  animals  there  all 
night,  lest  leopards  or  hyaenas  should  get  them.  The  friendly 
Attakka  had  himself  seen  the  goats  there,  and  we  had  caught  a 
Gannawarri  youth  who  had  lost  his  way  in  the  harmattan,  and 
had  strayed  into  the  camp,  and  they  prevailed  upon  the  chiefs 
to  send  for  the  goats;  and  as  the  chiefs  were  now  certain  that 
they  could  depend  upon  me,  they  said  that  they  would  keep 
the  peace. 

A few  days  afterwards  I managed  to  arrest  the  chief  of 
Babban  Gidda,  and  then  the  principal  Gannawarri  chief  came 
to  my  camp,  and  on  receiving  the  twenty-five  shillings  (mostly  in 
44  tenths'”  of  a penny)  his  eyes  glistened,  and  he  said  he  would 
not  mind  losing  a few  more  of  his  people  under  similar 
conditions. 

I sent  the  Babban  Gidda  chief  to  prison ; it  was  not  a case 
for  hanging,  life  being  held  much  too  cheaply  in  that  district, 
and  within  a month  or  so  the  two  tribes  were  apparently  as 
friendly  as  ever  before.  I confiscated  the  skulls — which,  luckily, 
the  Gannawarri  did  not  want  particularly — and  they  now  repose 
in  peace  on  the  shelves  of  the  museum  at  Cambridge. 

There  is  no  formal  declaration  of  war  by  the  Kagoro,  Moroa, 
&c.,  for  fights  usually  arise  from  sudden  quarrels,  but  if  there 
should  be  any  delay  between  the  disagreement  and  the  commence- 
ment of  actual  hostilities,  the  women  or  people  of  a town  friendly 
to  both  sides  usually  hear  of  it  and  pass  the  word  along.  The 
Gannawarri,  however,  have  a wasan  zvuka,  which,  as  I have  said, 
lasts  for  three  days,  during  which  time  preparations  both  spiritual 
and  physical  are  made  for  the  coming  conflict. 


155 


SOME  EXCITING  ARRESTS 

When  the  force,  if  for  attack,  has  assembled,  the  chief  and 
the  chief  priest,  after  having  addressed  the  men,  hand  them  over 
to  the  leader  chosen,  and  he  then  marches  them  off  to  the  scene 
of  battle.  Scouts  are  sent  out  in  front  to  avoid  surprise,  and 
to  obtain  news  of  the  enemy’s  dispositions,  and  they  will  climb 
trees  if  necessary,  and  perhaps  waylay  some  unsuspecting  strag- 
glers or  scouts  belonging  to  the  other  side.  In  fact  one  of  the 
Mada  ambushes  which  the  patrol  of  1910  experienced  was  the 
tying  of  goats  to  the  base  of  a tree,  a few  men  hiding  in  the 
branches,  which  were  covered  with  creepers,  so  as  to  snipe  any 
soldiers  or  carriers  who  came  to  unloose  them. 

Usually  some  plan  of  campaign  would  have  been  thought  out, 
and  the  men  would  be  disposed  accordingly;  a fairly  good  line 
would  be  kept  in  the  open,  but  the  men  would  not  trouble  about 
the  step.  All  would  be  on  foot — only  the  Gannawarri  and  some 
of  the  Kibbo  having  horses — and  the  advance  would  be  well 
concealed,  probably,  for  all  warlike  natives  seem  to  be  adepts 
at  taking  cover.  No  dogs  are  used  in  warfare,  and  I should  not 
think  they  ever  could  be,  for  they  are  fearful  curs.  The  warriors 
shout  their  war-cry — “ Wifu,  wifu /” — to  try  to  terrify  their  op- 
ponents (and  a nasty  sound  it  is  if  you  are  not  expecting  it),  and 
they  insult  them  and  boast  of  their  own  deeds,  imaginary  or 
otherwise. 

When  an  enemy  has  been  slain,  the  victor,  on  removing  the 
head  with  his  knife,  will  sing  a special  or  impromptu  song  about 
it,  but  there  seem  to  be  no  general  songs  sung  by  men  to 
encourage  themselves  while  the  actual  fighting  is  in  progress ; 
nor  do  the  women  cheer  them  on,  as  is  the  case  with  the 
Ninzam.  I ought  to  mention,  however,  with  regard  to  the 
latter,  that  no  women  ever  came  out  against  our  patrol,  later, 
though  we  could  often  hear  them  cursing  and  abusing  us  from 
the  bush. 

Most  of  the  Ivagoro  towns  are  defended  by  labyrinths  of 
euphorbia  hedges,  perhaps  twelve  feet  high,  as  mentioned  before, 
and  there  are  usually  caves  up  above  the  towns — which  are  built 
at  the  base  of  the  mountain  spur — where  the  women  can  flee 
with  the  foodstuffs  and  other  property.  The  men,  if  driven 

156 


SOME  EXCITING  ARRESTS 


out  of  the  town,  smash  the  beehives  (earthen  pots,  standing  by 
the  side  of  the  houses)  as  they  leave,  so  that  the  insects  will  be 
furious  by  the  time  the  attacking  force  arrives,  and  when  the 
invaders  have  been  scattered  by  this  means,  the  defenders  return 
and  pour  in  poisoned  arrows,  and  probably  capture  a good  many 
stragglers  and  fugitives  who  have  taken  the  wrong  turning. 
And  there  must  at  times  be  many  of  these,  for  a man  can 
have  no  time  to  choose  his  direction  when  attacked  by  bees  in 
a narrow  lane  of  euphorbia,  and  will  take  the  first  opening  out 
of  it  to  escape  his  tormentors.  The  second  patrol  in  1909  was 
treated  in  this  way  by  Jigya  and  Tafa,  three  of  the  Europeans 
and  many  of  the  soldiers  and  carriers  being  so  badly  stung  that 
they  were  laid  up  for  some  days,  and  the  patrol  of  1908  had  a 
somewhat  similar  experience. 

The  Kagoro  have  never  dug  pits  for  their  enemies,  they  say, 
and  this  is  rather  surprising,  for  many  of  the  surrounding  tribes  do, 
such  as  the  Gannawarri,  the  Yeskwa,  and  the  Ninzam,  and  holes 
were  made  for  animals  before  the  days  of  the  bow  and  arrow. 
Except  for  the  scouts  in  the  trees,  there  is  no  idea  of  raising  the 
position  of  defence.  Of  course,  they  will  try  to  get  on  higher 
ground  if  possible,  so  as  to  give  their  arrows  a longer  range, 
and  to  be  able  to  roll  or  throw  down  stones,  but  houses  are 
not  built  on  piles  for  defensive  purposes,  nor  have  the  people 
any  knowledge  of  earthworks,  escalading,  or  breaching,  for  there 
are  no  walls  in  the  vicinity,  but  they  do  cut  paths  through  the 
hedges  of  other  towns.  The  euphorbia  hedges  are  more  or  less 
peculiar  to  the  Kagoro,  other  tribes  in  the  district  contenting 
themselves  with  hedges  of  some  thick,  strong  bushes,  or  simply 
with  the  ordinary  grass  fences,  strengthened,  perhaps,  with  palm 
fronds  with  short  poisonous  spikes — as  we  found  to  our  cost 
near  Aro. 

The  weapons  of  the  head-hunters  are  (1)  a wooden  club,  (2)  a 
knife,  (3)  the  bow  and  arrow,  (4)  the  sling,  (5)  the  spear  for 
throwing  or  thrusting,  and  (6)  the  shield.  The  club  may  be  a 
mere  thick  stick,  or  a knob-kerry,  or  it  may  be  a heavy  wide 
scimitar,  as  with  the  Kagoma,  or  a longer,  narrower  one  of  light 
wood  as  with  the  Ayu.  The  knife  may  be  of  the  usual  dagger 

157 


SOME  EXCITING  ARRESTS 


shape,  or  the  handle  may  be  in  the  form  of  an  oval  ring,  and  it 
will  be  bought  from  a Hausa  trader,  or  else  made  in  their  own 
towns  by  foreign  blacksmiths.  The  bow  is  not  strengthened  in 
any  way,  being  merely  a piece  of  bent  wood  some  three  to  five 
feet  long,  but  a ring  may  be  worn  on  the  right  thumb  when 
drawing  it,  so  as  to  give  a better  grip  on  the  missile.  The 
arrows  have  iron  heads  with  flanges,  and  are  poisoned,  the 
shafts  being  notched  but  not  feathered,  and  usually  about 
three  feet  in  length,  but  Jigya  used  some  4 feet  8 inches 
against  the  last  patrol.  The  Toff's  used  wooden-pointed  arrows, 
the  tips  of  which  broke  off  on  touching  the  target ; the  object 
in  both  cases  being  of  course  to  keep  the  poison  - bearing 
material  in  contact  with  the  flesh  as  long  as  possible.  Fire 
arrows  are  unknown,  and  this  is  rather  surprising,  considering 
the  fact  that  the  burning  of  the  enemy’s  town  is  one  of  the 
objects  of  every  attacking  force. 

I have  not  seen  a sling,  but  the  chief  of  Jemaan  Daroro  told  me 
that  he  was  wounded  by  a stone  from  one  at  Jigya  some  time 
previously,  and  others  say  the  same  thing.  Stones  are  not 
usually  rolled  down  on  the  enemy,  but  the  last  patrol  had  an 
experience  of  the  kind,  and  I still  wonder  why  the  towns  built  up 
the  mountains  are  not  always  defended  in  this  fashion.  The 
spear  has  a long  head  with  flanges,  and  a small  piece  of  iron  round 
the  butt  for  balance ; it  also  has  a projection  on  the  shaft  on 
which  to  rest  the  forefinger.  The  shield  is  round  and  made  of 
hide,  bullock  for  preference.  I believe  there  are  some  made  of 
grass  also,  but  I could  not  be  sure  that  I saw  any,  though  the 
Attakka  seemed  to  be  carrying  such  weapons;  if  so,  they  are 
much  smaller  than  those  made  of  hide.  There  is  another  shape, 
more  square,  used  by  the  Mada  warriors,  resembling  somewhat 
those  used  by  the  Toff  people,  whose  weapons  have  been  already 
described. 

Although  these  tribes  are  always  fighting  amongst  themselves, 
there  seems  to  be  a good  deal  of  intermarriage  between  them, 
and  so,  when  one  side  has  had  enough  of  the  war,  any  women 
who  once  belonged  to  the  hostile  tribe,  but  have  been  married  to 
men  of  the  tribe  wishing  for  peace,  are  sent  to  their  relatives  as 

158 


SOME  EXCITING  ARRESTS 

ambassadors,  and  they  are  naturally  sacred,  for  they  have  friends  on 
both  sides.  If  peace  is  agreed  upon,  important  representatives  of 
the  two  tribes  meet,  each  party  bringing  a he-goat  in  the  case  of 
the  Kagoro,  and  decide  the  terms  of  peace,  and  swear  friendship 
in  the  following  way — all  their  bargains  being  celebrated  by 
banquets,  as  with  us. 

After  having  talked  matters  over,  and  after  the  usual  agree- 
ments have  been  made,  payment  of  compensation,  delivery  of 
prisoners,  or  giving  lip  the  right  to  a claim  for  territory,  which- 
ever the  case  may  be,  each  goat  is  killed  by  having  its  throat 
cut.  Some  of  the  blood  is  then  smeared  three  times  with  three 
incantations,  of  course,  on  a tree  or  stone  agreed  upon,  and 
this  act  apparently  makes  it  a witness  to  the  compact  (have 
not  European  lovers  sworn  by  the  moon  ?),  and  possibly  a 
partaker  in  the  feast  also ; and  perhaps  is  thenceforth  re- 
garded as  sacred,  like  the  stone  used  when  praying  for  rain. 
This  is  not  impossible,  for  Jacob  poured  a drink  offering  on 
the  pillar  of  stone  which  he  set  up  at  Beth-el,  and  Joshua 
took  a great  stone  and  set  it  under  an  oak,  and  “said  unto 
all  the  people,  Behold  this  stone  shall  be  a witness  unto  us,  for  it 
hath  heard  all  the  words  of  the  Lord  which  He  spake  unto  us  ; it 
shall  be  therefore  a witness  unto  you,  lest  ye  deny  your  God.11 
Each  party  then  divides  its  goat  into  two  halves  lengthwise, 
except  for  the  head,  which,  with  the  skin,  is  the  perquisite  of 
the  chief  priest  of  the  town  or  tribe  bringing  the  animal,  and  one- 
half  is  taken  by  each  party,  the  members  of  which  then  separate, 
each  cooking  and  eating  the  two  different  halves  at  some  little 
distance  apart  in  the  bush.  When  the  flesh  has  been  eaten, 
some  three  men  of  each  party  will  be  told  off  to  accompany  the 
other  party  to  their  town,  and  then  all  go  home,  their  hostages, 
who  stay  for  a few  days  with  their  late  enemies,  being,  of 
course,  sacred — how  that  word  has  changed  in  meaning ! 

The  Moroa  apparently  cut  a female  goat  across  the  middle 
while  still  alive,  and  give  the  hinder  part  to  the  party  from  the 
other  tribe  or  town,  receiving  a similar  portion  in  exchange,  and 
then  all  mix  together  and  eat  with  one  another.  I am  not  sure 
if  they  too  smear  the  blood  on  a stone  or  a tree ; I saw  no  special 

159 


SOME  EXCITING  ARRESTS 

stone  at  the  place  where  I waited  for  the  Gannawarri,  nor  was 
the  tree  in  any  way  remarkable. 

A broom  is  constructed  by  the  party  from  the  people  who  have 
made  the  first  overtures  of  peace,  and  is  handed  to  the  other 
party,  the  most  important  men  on  each  side  holding  it,  and  swear- 
ing that  it  will  sweep  out  all  evil-doers.  In  the  case  of  the 
Kagoro,  the  broom  is  made  of  the  grass  used  for  lighting  fires, 
the  idea  being  that  if  the  people  who  gave  it  ever  attack  at 
night,  the  torch  will  blaze  up  and  show  where  they  are,  for  the 
others  will  take  it  to  their  town  and  keep  it  there. 

The  principal  causes  of  war  are  the  capture  of  women  or  else 
the  murder  of  men,  the  latter  nearly  always,  and  the  former  very 
often  arising  out  of  a drunken  row.  Sometimes  the  most  fiendish 
treachery  is  indulged  in  during  a friendly  feast,  such  as  I have 
described  at  Babban  Gidda,  and  head-hunting  was  always  regarded 
as  a popular  and  manly  sport.  In  any  case  blood-feuds  must 
have  lasted  a long  time  between  tribes  before  we  were  there  to  put 
an  end  to  them,  for  the  children  of  a man  killed  even  in  battle 
would  keep  up  the  vendetta  unless  prevented  or  bought  off,  and, 
when  life  is  cheap,  and  men  are  anxious  for  heads,  no  great  sums 
will  be  paid  to  keep  an  enemy  quiet. 

The  Kagoro  have  not  amalgamated  with  any  other  tribe ; 
and  though  they  have  repeatedly  defeated  the  Kajji,  they  never 
seem  to  have  followed  up  their  victories  nor  to  have  deprived 
them  of  any  land.  This  happened  indirectly,  however,  for  the 
Kajji  were  for  a long  time  too  much  frightened  to  go  to  any  of 
their  farms  near  the  Kagoro  frontier.  I managed  to  make  the 
principal  chiefs  of  these  tribes  meet  and  swear  friendship  at 
Jemaan  Daroro  during  the  year,  and  I believe  the  feeling  of 
greater  security,  and  the  consequent  increase  in  the  area  under 
cultivation,  nearly  doubled  the  harvest  of  the  towns  nearest  each 
other  on  each  side  of  the  boundary.  And  if  so  I justified  my 
name  with  them,  as  with  the  Hausawa  of  Jemaan  Daroro,  who  nick- 
named me  Maikwoshe (“  the  full  one,”  i.e.  “ the  maker  of  plenty  ”), 
not  on  account  of  a wish  to  make  rude  remarks  about  any  per- 
sonal peculiarity,  but  because,  while  with  them,  I encouraged 
their  agricultural  habits,  and  made  every  householder  have  a farm. 

160 


CHAPTER  XIII 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

SOME  people  hold  that  the  wild  pagans  in  their  native  state 
are  absolutely  beyond  the  pale,  incapable  of  any  good 
without  our  intervention,  and  quite  useless  in  every  way 
unless  or  until  they  can  be  taught  to  live  according  to  European 
ideals.  Others  maintain  that  it  is  only  in  their  wild  state  that 
pagans  are  truthful,  honest,  well-behaved,  and  in  fact  thorough 
gentlemen,  and  that  contact  with  us  does  everything  to  lower  and 
nothing  to  elevate  them.  It  is  true  that  many  of  the  inland 
tribes  are  dirty,  though  the  river  people  are  often  the  reverse ; it 
is  true  that  they  do  not  know  of  our  Bible,  but  it  is  in  many  cases 
most  untrue  to  say  that  they  do  not  know  of  God,  or  that  they 
do  not  worship  Him  to  the  best  of  their  ability ; it  is  true  also 
that  many,  I might  almost  say  most,  of  their  songs  would  be  con- 
sidered rather  too  strong  for  even  our  music  halls,  but  they  do 
not  go  much  further  than  some  of  the  worst  of  our  Immortal 
Bard,  Shakespeare ; and  as  for  the  wearing  of  clothes,  natives 
with  any  pride  in  themselves  like  the  Kagoro  say — “ We  are 
Kagoro,  we  do  not  know  these  customs,  our  fathers  did  not  teach 
them  to  us,  we  do  not  wish  to  change.” 

Many  writers  on  Africa  besides  myself  urge  that  natives  shall 
be  educated  as  natives  and  not  as  Europeans,  because  the  local 
laws  and  customs  are  in  many  cases  much  more  suited  to  the 
black  people  than  are  those  introduced  by  a foreign  race.  And 
naturally  so,  for  it  seems  the  height  of  impertinence  to  imagine 
that  W est  Africa  has  been  left  to  grow  in  sin  and  darkness  for 
centuries  simply  that  the  whites  might  come  and  save  the 
people  at  some  future  time.  We  do  not  realise  that  Moham- 
medans regard  Christians  as  lost,  that  Hindus  and  Confucians 
consider  that  we  are  utterly  damned  in  the  next  world,  that  even 

161  L 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

the  wild,  dirty  pagans  imagine  that  they,  and  they  only,  have  found 
the  true  God,  and  that  we  are  impious  because  we  revile  theirs 
while  urging  the  acceptance  of  ours,  not  recognising  them  as  one  ! 
We  ridicule  such  an  idea,  we  think  the  native  blasphemous  for 
entertaining  such  views,  we  turn  over  in  our  minds  the  many 
absurd  (to  us)  superstitions  and  customs  that  he  has,  and  we 
regard  any  arguments  in  his  favour  with  pitiful  contempt,  or 
with  amusement.  But  before  laughing  at  him  would  it  not  be 
best  to  consider  if  we  are  really  so  very  different,  so  very  superior 
after  all  ? Some  tribes  pierce  their  noses  ! Very  funny  indeed  ; 
but  do  we  not  pierce  our  ears  ? and  not  only  women  either,  for 
sailors  do,  or  did.  Some  of  the  black  women  compress  their  arms 
or  legs,  or  tie  strings  around  their  waists ; but  is  not  a modifica- 
tion of  the  latter  the  rule  in  England,  where  a few  years  ago  the 
woman  who  could  boast  of  a waist  of  only  eighteen  inches  was 
more  envied  than  one  who  had  won  a University  degree  ? Men’s 
high  stiff*  collars  are  as  bad.  Native  women  paint  their  faces  to 
make  themselves  appear  more  fascinating,  and  even  that  is  not 
unknown  in  England,  though  our  ideas  differ  from  theirs  as  to 
what  is  attractive.  Black  mothers  massage  their  babies’  heads 
to  mould  them  into  the  particular  shape  favoured  by  the  tribe  ; 
is  this  never  done  in  England  ? The  people  carry  loads  on  their 
heads,  but  even  this  can  be  observed  here,  kitchen  boys  being 
particularly  noticeable,  and  I have  seen  white  women  at  Oporto 
stumbling  along  under  great  planks  and  stones,  and  working 
harder  than  any  negresses. 

So  too  with  the  beliefs,  superstitions,  and  customs,  many 
of  which,  if  we  take  the  trouble  to  trace  them,  will  resemble 
those  of  our  early  forefathers,  and  we  do  not  immediately 
recognise  even  our  own  nowadays  because  they  have  become 
modified  as  we  have  developed,  and  many  have  been  lost  alto- 
gether. But  people  who  will  not  walk  under  a ladder,  those 
who  throw  salt  over  the  left  shoulder,  refuse  to  sit  down  thirteen 
at  a table,  and  will  not  cut  their  nails  on  a Friday,  cannot  look 
down  upon  the  wildest  pagan  so  far  as  superstition  is  concerned. 
Those  who  use  crests,  burn  obnoxious  persons  in  effigy,  or  believe 
that  the  burning  of  the  dressings  has  an  effect  on  the  wound 

162 


Ugly,  but  Revered 

The  object  on  the  left  is  a head-dress  composed  of  leather  covered  with  cowrie-shells,  the 
figure  ot  a man  on  horseback  surmounting  the  cap  The  centre  figure  is  that  of  a girl 
kneeling,  with  a calabash  on  her  head.  The  small  carvings  are  said  to  represent  dead 
children,  and  are  male  or  female  in  form  accordingly.  These  are  Yoruba  objects.  See  p.  34. 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

from  which  they  have  been  taken,  will  not  be  surprised  to  hear 
of  totems  or  of  sympathetic  magic.  The  savage  wears  a charm  to 
make  him  victorious  in  battle,  even  our  racing  motor-cars  have 
mascots ; the  native  perhaps  regards  some  particular  animal  with 
affection,  fear,  or  loathing — it  may  be  as  a result  of  totemism,  it 
may  be  for  other  reasons — but  we  know  of  instances  of  men 
amongst  ourselves  being  afraid  of  cats  and  horses,  although  in 
battle  they  are  as  gallant  as  any  heroes  have  ever  been. 

Again  as  regards  religion,  many  tribes  conceive  of  a Supreme 
God,  the  Almighty  Creator,  in  the  same  way  as  we  do,  but 
whereas  we  portray  Him  as  a Glorified  Being,  in  shape  like  us, 
they  may  think  of  Him  as  such  also,  or  as  partly  animal  or 
element.  He  is  at  times  supposed  to  inhabit  representations  of 
Himself,  or  perhaps  idols  may  be  made  which  become  gods,  and 
even  nowadays  it  is  impossible  to  say  exactly  how  some  of  the 
lower  and  ignorant  classes  in  Europe  really  regard  the  figures  of 
the  Saviour  and  the  Virgin,  or  the  Holy  Kelics  ! We  are  often 
amused  at  the  accounts  of  natives  reminding  their  gods  of  their 
existence,  or  of  trying  to  cheat  them  by  offering  gifts  at  their 
shrines  during  a period  of  stress,  but  taking  them  away  when  the 
danger  is  past.  At  St.  Adresse  near  Havre  in  France,  last  year, 
when  on  my  way  to  Portugal,  I saw  many  models  of  ships  in  the 
church,  placed  there  to  remind  the  Virgin  that  the  crews  of  the 
vessels  they  represented  were  at  sea,  and  invoking  her  aid  on  their 
behalf.  After  the  vessel's  return  the  models  are  removed  again, 
and  in  many  cases  a tablet  is  erected  in  grateful  remembrance, 
though  this  cannot  always  have  been  done,  otherwise  the  building 
would  have  been  a solid  mass  of  them  long  ere  this.  Many  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  churches  abroad  are  like  toyshops.  Again,  some 
of  the  pagan  hymns  are  more  beautiful  than  a good  many  found 
to-day  in  our  hymnbooks,  and  we  often  ask  for  the  same  things, 
namely,  blessings  on  earth,  and  a good  place  in  the  next  world. 

However,  there  is  no  room  in  a book  like  this  for  the  discussion 
of  all  the  points  of  resemblance  between  the  pagan  mind  and  ours, 
nor  have  I the  ability  necessary  for  such  a work,  but  it  would 
be  as  well  to  remember  also,  that  whereas  we  may  know  that 
we  are  superior  to  the  black  man,  he  does  not  admit  the  fact, 

163 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

but  actually  thinks  that  he  is  quite  as  much  superior  to  us  ! A 
European  will  never  get  anything  like  as  good  or  as  willing 
service  from  a native  as  one  of  his  own  natural  rulers  would  ; the 
expression  u as  foolish  as  a white  man  ” is  as  common  as  one  we 
have  relating  to  the  people  of  a certain  neighbouring  continental 
country ; and  the  conviction  of  most  sects  — specially  Moham- 
medans— that  Christians  will  be  damned  in  the  next  world  is  even 
stronger  than  the  belief  to  the  contrary  of  our  most  ardent 
missionaries,  who  think  that  we  only  can  show  them  the  way  to 
salvation,  and  without  us  they  will  have  no  hope. 

And  lest  there  should  be  any  misapprehension,  let  me  say  at 
once  that  our  customs  and  beliefs  certainly  are  superior  to  those 
of  the  natives,  for  we  have  weeded  out  most  of  the  bad  and  useless 
parts,  while  they  are  still  in  a backward  stage  ; and  I do  not  com- 
pare their  customs  to  ours  simply  for  the  purpose  of  belittling  our 
state  of  culture,  but  so  as  to  invite  sympathy  for  theirs.  The  only 
thing  I wish  to  insist  upon  is  that  we  cannot  afford  to  deride  the 
savage  until  we  have  become  absolutely  certain  that  there  is 
nothing  corresponding  to  his  foolishness  in  our  mode  of  life. 

Those  men  who  wish  to  study  primitive  instincts  have  an 
excellent  opportunity  amongst  the  pagan  head-hunters  of  Northern 
Nigeria,  though  the  recent  discoveries  of  tin  in  the  district  will 
soon  render  the  people  useless  anthropologically.  I always 
sympathised  with  them  even  when,  according  to  our  ideas,  they 
were  doing  wrong,  for  it  is,  after  all,  not  so  very  long  ago  that 
we  became  so  exceedingly  moral  and  orderly.  Would  England 
have  been  Mistress  of  the  Seas  but  for  unscrupulous  pirates  like 
Drake  and  others  ? Did  Japan  give  Russia  formal  notice  that  she 
was  going  to  attack  the  fleet  at  Port  Arthur  ? Did  Austria  and 
Italy  rush  to  the  Hague?  Did  Portugal?  Are  we  in  our  next 
war  going  to  ask  the  enemy  to  kindly  get  the  first  blow  home  so 
that  other  nations  may  not  say  nasty  things  about  us  ? They  will 
say  nothing  nasty  to  the  conqueror,  whatever  he  does  ; deeds  and 
not  words  will  decide  the  contests  ultimately,  and  the  spectators 
will  perforce  uphold  the  winning  side  unless  they  are  prepared  to 
fight  on  behalf  of  the  vanquished.  Thus,  when  on  a patrol,  it  was 
not  always  a question  of  fighting  the  particular  tribe  destined  for 

164 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 


punishment ; one  had  to  consider  too  what  the  neighbouring 
people  would  do  in  the  case  of  a reverse,  for  it  is  the  nature  of 
nations  as  well  as  men  to  kick  another  when  he  is  down,  and  to 
curry  favour  with  the  victor. 

Our  policy  with  these  people  has  been  to  preserve  as  far  as 
possible  their  old  institutions,  and  not  to  interfere,  unless  it  was 
necessary  to  stop  some  practice  which  was  harmful  to  the  com- 
munity generally,  or  contravening  some  law.  And  by  law  I do 
not  mean  only  that  which  we  have  laid  down  in  learned  enact- 
ments (which  are  so  badly  expressed  that  thousands  of  pounds 
have  to  be  spent  in  the  law-courts  before  any  one  can  find  out 
what  they  mean),  but  what  is  included  in  the  general  policy  of 
the  tribe  concerned,  for  it  is  a mistake  to  think  that  savages  are 
absolutely  unrestrained.  They  are  not,  custom  being  a very  exact- 
ing code,  any  infringement  of  which  is  often  regarded  as  being  not 
only  an  injury  to  the  society,  but  a slight  to  the  gods  as  well. 

It  is  not  necessary  that  a law  should  be  written  to  make 
it  binding ; there  are  some  44  unwritten  laws  ” with  us — as  was 
seen  lately  in  America — which  nevertheless  are  almost  invariably 
held  to  be  of  equal  authority  with  those  appearing  in  the  statute 
book.  And  there  are  customs  too,  the  infringement  of  which 
would  call  forth  a chorus  of  disapproval  strong  enough  to  compel 
the  person  guilty  of  the  offence  either  to  comply  with  them  or  to 
fly,  and  ostracism,  or  even  worse  punishment,  might  follow.  Such 
customs  gradually  tend  to  become  fixed,  and  they  are  then  equal 
in  every  respect  to  laws,  and  their  infringement,  even  with  us, 
would  in  many  cases  sooner  or  later  bring  the  offender  into 
conflict  with  the  law-courts.  Take,  for  instance,  the  case  of  a 'bus 
full  of  women  except  for  one  man,  and  another  woman  enter- 
ing, it  will  certainly  happen  that  the  man  will  give  up  his  seat 
and  offer  to  stand — but  why  should  he  ? He  has  paid  for  his 
seat,  and  having  been  there  first  has  the  prior  right  to  it,  but  he 
will  not  keep  it  because  he  respects  womankind,  and  the  constant 
exercise  of  courtesy  in  response  to  that  feeling  has  become  so 
universal  that  it  has  grown  into  a custom,  so  that  if  a man 
ignored  the  unwritten  rules  he  would  be  made  to  suffer  by 
ostracism,  or  even  by  actual  violence.  Again,  if  a Government 

165 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

refused  to  resign  after  having  lost  its  majority  in  the  House  of 
Commons,  the  members  would  very  soon  be  guilty  of  breaking 
the  law,  for  they  would  be  spending  money  illegally.  The 
former  is  one  of  our  customs,  the  result  to  a great  extent  of 
Christianity,  but  regard  for  women  is  not  yet  universal  among 
savages,  I fear. 

A Kagoro  custom,  mentioned  later,  is  that  the  women  shall 
not  wear  clothes  of  any  kind,  and  though  I gave  many  of  them 
brightly  coloured  handkerchiefs  of  the  kind  which  gladden  the 
hearts  and  brighten  the  eyes  (and  heads)  of  most  of  the  dusky 
beauties,  they  would  never  wear  them ; the  reason  given  when  I 
asked  for  one  being,  that  “the  Kagoro  did  not  do  so,”  and 
apparently  no  further  explanation  was  thought  necessary.  There 
is  no  reason  to  suppose  that  these  particular  females  were  ab- 
solutely different  in  nature  to  all  the  other  daughters  of  Eve  of 
every  colour,  and  I think  that  it  is  quite  likely  that  but  for  the  fear 
of  disapproval  they  would  have  worn  them  gladly ; but  I respected 
their  customs,  and  did  not  attempt  to  persuade  them  to  do  so. 

Religion  is  about  the  last  subject  on  which  a native  will  talk, 
and  it  was  not  until  I had  been  known  to  the  Kagoro  some 
months  that  I could  get  any  information  at  all,  and  even  then 
it  came  only  in  little  bits  at  a time.  Had  I only  been  able  to  do 
another  tour  amongst  them  I should  have  found  out  most  of 
what  was  worth  knowing  even  on  this  head,  but  it  was  not  to  be. 
They  believe  in  a Supreme  God  who  is  called  Gwaza , and  he 
must  be  in  some  way  confused  with  the  Universe,  for  the  names 
of  both  are  the  same.  So  far  are  they  from  “ worshipping  the 
devil,”  as  is  often  stated  about  such  people,  that  they  regard 
the  god  as  a beneficent  spirit  who  helps  them  against  the 
ghosts  of  their  dead  ancestors,  and  he  is  apparently  regarded  as 
almighty,  for  at  new  moon  there  are  rejoicings,  and  he  is  invoked 
and  asked  to  give  the  people  health  and  good  luck  during  the 
coming  month. 

In  times  of  drought  he  is  asked  to  send  rain  on  the  land,  a 
special  day  being  fixed  by  the  priests  for  the  offering  of  the 
supplications  of  the  people,  after  which  they  make  various 
mystical  preparations,  and  rain  always  comes  within  a day  or 

166 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

two.  No  doubt  the  priests  arrange  the  time  with  some  relation 
to  the  state  of  the  atmosphere,  as  in  the  Murray  Islands,  where 
Dr.  Haddon  says  that  the  impossible  was  never  attempted ; a 
rain  charm  would  never  be  made  unless  there  was  some  ex- 
pectation of  rain  coming.  But  the  explanation  given  by  the 
priests  is  that  they  are  powerful  and  can  prevail  upon  God,  and 
that  any  delay  simply  shows  that  they  have  had  to  argue  all  the 
more  strongly.  All  the  people  turn  first  to  the  south  when 
praying,  if  it  can  so  be  called,  at  this  time,  and  then  towards 
the  other  points  of  the  compass,  the  reason  being  that  they  first 
look  towards  their  place  of  origin,  as  the  Jews  did  towards 
Jerusalem,  in  which  direction  our  churches  are  also  built. 

No  native  beer,  or  akann , is  drunk  at  the  time  of  the  new 
moon,  but  in  seasons  of  drought  some  is  said  to  be  thrown  three 
times  on  each  corner  of  a special  stone  which  is  set  up  for  the 
occasion  in  the  sacred  grove,  and  is  supposed  to  be  inhabited  for 
the  time  by  the  Supreme  God,  an  incantation  being  spoken  while 
each  of  the  three  sprinklings  is  made.  But  before  this  is  done  a 
fowl  is  killed,  and  a little  of  the  blood  and  feathers  is  placed  on 
the  top  of  the  stone,  perhaps  also  some  flesh,  and  the  Supreme 
God  is  supposed  to  eat  these  and  be  pleased.  I did  not  myself 
see  the  stone — if  such  really  existed — it  was  kept  in  the  sacred 
grove,  but  a Court  Messenger  who  had  travelled  through  the 
country  before  we  came  described  the  rites  to  me,  and  said  that 
the  stone  was  about  two  feet  high.  It  is  kept  for  these  rites  only, 
and  this,  or  the  stone  or  tree  used  as  a witness  to  covenants  of 
peace,  seem  to  be  the  only  things  approaching  idolatry  or  fetish- 
ism. Most  Europeans  swear  on  the  Bible,  or  on  relics. 

There  are  no  other  gods  or  spirits — for  instance,  none  of  rivers 
or  mountains ; ancestors  are  worshipped  so  far  as  their  ghosts  are 
feared,  but  no  further,  and  there  are  no  models  or  carvings  of  any 
kind  that  I could  hear  of.  Some  of  the  Mada  people  to  the  south 
have  various  figures  in  wood  and  clay,  but  whether  these  are  idols 
or  not  must  be  left  for  some  one  else  to  determine.  By  the  way, 
why  is  it  that  these  figures,  idols,  or  otherwise,  are  always 
hideous?  We  read  in  Genesis  that  “ God  made  man  in  His  own 
image,”  but  nowadays  the  process  is  reversed  so  far  as  the  idola- 

167 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

trous  pagans  are  concerned.  It  is  possible  that  a man  knowing 
that  most  of  the  petty  acts  of  everyday  life  were  done  by  some 
human  being  like  himself,  imagined  the  greater  phenomena,  such 
as  thunderstorms,  floods,  &c.,  to  be  ordered  by  some  being  as 
much  greater  than  he,  as  a thunderstorm  was  more  wonderful  than 
the  pouring  of  water  from  a calabash,  and  since  the  manifestations 
of  this  mysterious  power  were  destructive  more  often  than  not,  he 
was  filled  with  fear. 

In  order  to  propitiate  this  being,  evidently  angry  or  malevolent 
since  his  acts  were  directed  against  the  man,  he  sought  in  his 
mind  for  some  means  of  approach,  and  as  a native  usually  wants 
to  visualise  everything,  he  made  an  image.  But  what  was  the 
image  to  be  like?  He  knew  himself  to  be  better  as  a whole  than 
the  animals  around  him  because  of  his  superior  intellect,  though 
he  was  often  inferior  in  bodily  strength,  and  so  the  god  was 
depicted  as  being  of  human  form,  or  partly  of  human  and  partly 
of  animal  form.  The  swiftness  of  the  eagle  and  the  strength  of 
the  lion  have  always  been  known  to  man  in  the  countries  where 
such  creatures  existed,  and  we  often  see  parts  of  them  in  the 
representations  of  the  gods;  and  fishes  were  also  included, par- 
ticularly amongst  maritime  nations.  Man  and  all  these  animals 
felt  hunger  and  other  emotions,  and  so  it  was  natural  to  suppose 
that  the  gods  would  experience  them  also,  and  offerings  of  food, 
and  drink,  and  of  riches  were  made  to  propitiate  them. 

But,  strangely  enough,  the  malevolent  gods  were  often  made 
much  more  of  than  the  beneficent  ones,  since  the  former  were 
always  likely  to  do  mischief  if  not  appeased,  while  the  latter 
would  do  good  in  any  case,  and  I fear  that  the  same  thing  holds 
good  in  everyday  life  amongst  us  even  to  this  day,  for  even 
in  Parliament  it  is  not  an  unknown  thing  for  a member  who  can 
worry  the  Government  to  be  offered  a post,  in  preference  to 
a staunch  supporter  who  will  always  vote  for  his  party.  Often, 
then,  the  representation  of  the  god  was  made  terrible  in  order 
to  match  his  reputation,  and  that  accounts  for  a good  deal 
of  the  ugliness  of  the  idols,  though  a certain  amount  must 
be  attributed  to  indifferent  workmanship,  and  also  to  the  fact 
that  beauty  of  face  seldom  appeals  to  a West  African ; a woman 

168 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 


who  is  strong  in  body,  and  likely  to  be  a good  worker  and  a 
prolific  mother  being  much  preferred  to  a girl  whose  face  is 
her  fortune,  or  would  be  amongst  us.  Where  iron  is  rare  and 
precious,  it  forms  part  of  the  offering  to  the  god,  and  a pious 
native  propitiates  his  deity  by  hammering  nails  into  its  stomach, 
or  head,  or  other  part  of  the  body  (so  says  The  Globe),  and  goes 
on  his  way  rejoicing  in  the  knowledge  of  a good  deed  done. 

As  man  rose  in  the  scale  of  civilisation,  he  gradually  dropped 
the  animal  parts  of  the  representation,  and  the  offerings  became 
of  a more  spiritual  nature,  though  even  to-day,  at  harvest-time, 
food  is  still  sent  to  the  church  by  us.  However,  we  know  now 
that  it  will  not  be  partaken  of  by  the  Almighty,  but  that  it  will 
be  devoted  to  charitable  purposes,  and  that  we  shall  derive 
benefit,  not  through  satisfying  any  desires  on  the  part  of  the 
Creator,  but  because  of  our  own  self-denial  in  making  the  gifts. 
A good  example  of  the  gradual  change  in  our  own  case  is  seen 
in  the  idea  of  the  cherubim,  which  Ezekiel  describes  as  having 
the  faces  of  man,  the  lion,  the  ox,  and  the  eagle,  and  they  were 
furnished  with  wings.  Now,  all  of  us  see  birds,  and  flying  is  still 
a wonderful  feat  to  us — much  more  so  than  swimming — and  thus 
we  have  kept  the  wings  on  our  pictures  of  the  cherubim  to  make 
them  appear  superior  to  us,  though  otherwise  their  bodies  are 
exactly  the  same.  So,  too,  with  our  delineations  of  the  Creator; 
although  once  depicted  as  a Mighty  and  Reverend  Patriarch 
clad  in  Eastern  raiment — thus  showing  the  origin  of  the  idea — 
the  modern  custom  is  rather  to  indicate  His  position  in  a picture 
by  a blaze  of  glory,  through  which,  however,  we  dimly  see  that 
His  shape  is  supposed  to  be  like  ours,  for  we  can  understand 
no  higher  organisation  that  the  idealised  human  form. 

The  Kagoro  did  not  know,  or  at  least  they  would  not  tell  me, 
anything  about  the  origin  of  man  in  the  world,  though  they  had 
heard  of  a big  flood.  The  ancient  people  are  said  to  have  been 
much  wiser  than  those  of  the  present  generation,  and  they  drew 
up  all  the  laws  and  laid  down  all  the  customs  which  the  Kagoro 
now  follow.  They  were,  however,  in  no  sense  superhuman ; and 
in  fact  were  not  so  strong  as  the  people  of  to-day  (pointing  to 
the  fact  that  they  were  fugitives  in  the  mountains  rather  than 

169 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

conquerors  in  the  plains),  but  they  were  also  not  so  wicked. 
They  invented  many  things,  but  forgot  the  art  of  swimming 
when  they  learned  how  to  make  bridges,  and  that  is  the  reason 
why  no  Kagoro  can  swim  to-day — though  as  these  bridges  consist 
merely  of  palm  trees  felled  so  as  to  fall  across  the  streams,  the 
reason  does  not  seem  to  be  a particularly  good  one.  It  is  more 
likely  that  this  is  another  sign  that  the  Kagoro  came  from 
Bauchi,  where  the  level  is  higher  and  the  streams  are  fewer 
in  number  and  smaller,  than  from  the  west,  where  they  would 
have  seen  rivers  much  enlarged  since  leaving  the  mountain. 

Some  Kagoro  say  that  there  will  be  punishment  after  death 
for  evil  deeds  not  expiated  during  the  offender’s  lifetime.  But 
the  majority  hold  that  he  who  has  the  stronger  arm  on  earth  will 
become  the  more  powerful  spirit  in  the  after-life,  and  this  view  is 
so  eminently  in  accordance  with  the  general  ideas  of  the  Kagoro 
that  I cannot  help  thinking  that  the  other  has  been  borrowed 
from  the  Mohammedans,  for  there  is  no  Hell,  and  the  provision  of 
a feast  of  akann  will  thoroughly  atone  for  the  commission  of  any 
crime. 

All  living  Kagoro  have  souls  or  shadows  which  leave  their 
bodies  during  sleep,  and  it  is  dangerous  to  awaken  any  one  suddenly 
lest  his  soul  should  be  too  much  preoccupied  with  the  pleasures  of 
the  moment  and  not  be  able  to  get  back  properly  to  the  body  at 
once,  a fact  which  is  shown  by  the  feeling  of  heaviness  and  the 
dull  look  of  the  eyes.  The  souls  were  said  to  be  connected  with 
the  breath  as  well  as  with  the  shadow,  but  how  they  could  leave 
the  bodies  of  sleeping — and  still  breathing — persons  my  inform- 
ants were  unable  to  explain.  The  soul  always  has  the  form  and 
voice  of  the  body  it  occupies,  and  each  individual  has  one,  and 
one  only. 

If  a person  is  likely  to  die,  the  soul  leaves  its  bodily  case  and 
travels  towards  the  stream  which  divides  this  world  from  the  next ; 
and  if  the  ghosts  of  the  departed  ancestors  on  the  other  side  think 
it  is  time  that  the  person  died,  the  soul  is  allowed  to  cross,  but  if 
not,  they  drive  it  back  to  the  body,  and  the  sick  person  recovers. 
It  is  curious  to  note  that  similar  beliefs  are  prevalent  elsewhere; 
for  instance,  I have  seen  it  stated  that  the  people  of  New 

170 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 


Britain  think  that  when  a man  dies  his  soul  goes  to  the  spirit- 
land  and  meets  his  friends  there,  but  if  they  do  not  want  him  at 
that  time  they  all  drive  him  away,  and  so  he  returns  to  life  again. 
The  stream  is  crossed  in  the  case  of  the  Kagoro  souls  by  a bridge, 
and  I rather  wonder  if  the  difficulties  of  travelling  gave  them  the 
idea  of  a stream ; if  so  it  would  appear  as  if  they  had  come  from 
the  north-west,  where  the  rivers  are  formidable,  and  as  if  the 
bridge  were  a later  addition.  Sometimes  there  is  a delay,  the 
ghosts  not  being  unanimous  in  their  opinion,  and  so  deferring 
the  final  decision,  and  when  this  is  the  case  the  soul,  being  without 
a habitation,  shrinks,  and  if  it  should  in  the  end  be  compelled  to 
return  to  its  body  the  person  will  feel  the  effects  although  he 
recovers,  and  will  not  have  the  proper  use  of  his  brain  perhaps,  or 
of  one  or  all  of  his  limbs.  But  if  the  ghosts  decide  that  the  person 
has  lived  long  enough  on  earth  the  soul  is  allowed  to  cross  the 
bridge,  and  it  can  then  never  return  to  that  particular  body,  which 
must  die. 

The  question  of  the  detention  or  return  of  the  soul  is  wholly 
in  the  hands  of  the  ghosts  of  the  patient’s  dead  ancestors,  and  no 
rites  are  performed  by  the  relatives  on  earth  because  they  could 
make  no  difference ; but  if  the  person  who  is  causing  the  illness 
be  found,  severe  measures  are  taken  against  him,  for  all  deaths  and 
illnesses  are  due  to  black  magic,  and  so  when  a person  is  sick  it  is 
necessary  to  discover  who  is  responsible.  Souls  and  ghosts  are  like 
human  beings,  and  are  exposed  to  the  same  dangers,  and  so  while 
a soul  is  absent  from  the  sleeping  body  it  may  be  caught  by  that 
of  an  evil-wisher,  or  the  latter  may  beat  the  victim’s  soul  with  a 
stick.  In  both  cases  an  illness  ensues,  which  in  the  latter  will  be 
evidenced  by  a feeling  of  being  bruised  (I  wonder  if  this  has  any- 
thing to  do  with  malarial  fever  ?),  but  will  not  be  serious ; while 
in  the  former  case  it  is  known  that  the  victim’s  liver  has  been 
removed  and  taken  to  the  cave  in  the  sacred  grove,  where  all  the 
evil-wishers  will  assemble  to  eat  it. 

An  ordinary  individual  cannot  see  these  evil  souls,  but  a witch- 
doctor can,  because  they  glow  like  fire  at  night,  and  he  is,  of 
course,  immediately  appealed  to  and  asked  to  46  smell  out  ” the 
owner.  On  being  summoned  he  will  call  over  the  names  of  several 

171 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 


persons,  and  the  sick  man  will  recognise  the  one  who  is  afflicting 
him,  so  a rush  is  made  for  some  poor  wretch  who  has  evidently 
offended  the  witch-doctor,  and  he  is  caught  and  shut  in  a house 
with  a fire  in  it,  into  which  pepper  is  thrown,  and  he  is  kept  there 
until  he  agrees  to  remove  his  curse.  If  he  really  returns  the  liver 
to  the  sick  man,  the  latter  will  recover,  but  he  may  have  only  pro- 
mised to  do  so  in  order  to  escape  from  the  burning  pepper,  and 
may  eat  the  liver  after  all,  in  which  case  the  person  dies,  and,  if 
the  evil-wisher  is  still  in  the  town,  he  will  be  sold  as  a slave  or 
choked  to  death  if  the  family  of  the  victim  is  strong  enough  to 
exact  the  punishment.  If,  however,  the  sick  person  is  very 
old  the  evil-wisher  may  not  be  punished  at  all,  for  since 
a beer-feast  will  result  on  the  death  of  such  a victim  the 
deed  is  rather  an  advantage  than  otherwise  to  the  rest  of  the 
family. 

The  Kagoro  know  of  cases  where  the  evil-wisher  who  thus 
became  an  evil-doer  gave  back  the  sick  person’s  liver,  and  conse- 
quently allowed  him  to  recover,  but  took  a corresponding  organ 
from  a dog  or  a sheep  instead;  and  although  the  culprit  may 
have  denied  the  charge,  there  was  no  doubt  of  his  guilt,  for  the 
animal  would  die  soon  afterwards  of  a similar  illness.  Probably 
the  evil-wisher  would  be  required  to  make  good  the  loss,  but, 
as  in  most  other  cases,  all  would  depend  upon  whether  the  family 
suffering  it  was  stronger  in  numbers  or  more  powerful  in  influence 
than  that  of  the  person  causing  it. 

The  ghosts  live  the  lives  of  ordinary  men — Kagoro  men,  of 
course — and  spirits  of  enemies  will  continue  their  feuds  unless 
stopped  by  the  Supreme  God.  The  ghosts  ride,  eat,  and  hunt 
as  in  life,  and  are  always  ready  for  beer,  but  they  cannot  be 
destroyed.  They  live  in  the  sacred  grove  and  in  the  mountains 
behind  Fada  Kagoro — not  in  houses,  for  there  are  none  in  the 
next  world ; and  the  plants  and  trees  in  the  grove  being  real, 
there  is  no  need  for  ghostly  vegetation.  They  seem  to  have 
horses,  and  dogs  too,  though  some  Kagoro  say  that  animals 
have  no  souls,  for  the  shadow  disappears  at  death ; others, 
however,  hold  that  they  have  souls  of  the  same  shape  and  size 
as  their  bodies,  and  all  agree  that  they  can  see  the  ghosts  of  men 

172 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

and  many  other  things  which  the  eye  of  no  human  being  can 
discern  unless  he  possesses  the  secrets  of  the  black  magic. 

The  first  husband  of  a woman  will  be  her  husband  in  after- 
life, and,  if  dead,  his  ghost  will  come  to  her  house  for  her  when 
she  is  dying;  the  ghost  of  the  first  wife  will  come  for  a man 
when  he  is  dying ; and,  also,  the  spirits  of  parents  will  come  for 
their  unmarried  children,  and  vice  versa ; in  fact,  the  organisation 
of  society  is  as  much  like  that  in  force  on  earth  as  can  be 
imagined.  The  ghosts  are  always  hungry  and  thirsty,  and 
unless  well  looked  after  will  soon  punish  their  relatives  left 
alive  on  earth,  but  they  will  first  warn  them  in  dreams.  We 
have  many  stories  in  England  of  the  ghosts  of  murdered 
people  worrying  their  descendants  until  the  crimes  have  been 
brought  to  light,  and  the  ghosts  allowed  to  go  to  their  resting- 
place,  so  we  should  be  able  easily  to  understand  the  Kagoro 
beliefs  in  this  respect.  A few  cases  have  been  known  by  the 
Kagoro  of  members  of  their  tribes  having  seen  the  wraiths  of 
their  loved  ones  at  the  time  of  their  death,  although  far  distant 
at  the  time,  but  it  was  admitted  that  such  strokes  of  luck  seldom 
occur. 

A ghost  may  transmigrate  into  the  body  of  a descendant  born 
after  the  ancestor’s  death,  and  each  may  be  male  or  female ; in 
fact,  such  a thing  is  common,  as  is  proved  by  the  likeness  of 
children  to  their  parents  or  grandparents  and  others.  It  is 
very  lucky,  too,  for  it  shows  that  the  ghost,  which  was  always 
liable  to  misbehave  at  any  time,  has  returned  to  a fleshy  habita- 
tion, and  so  will  have  no  further  power  to  frighten  the  family 
until  the  new  body  dies,  and  it  is  set  free  again.  But  though 
the  Kagoro  may  welcome  a reincarnation,  other  peoples  object, 
and  Mr.  Martin  says  of  the  Akra  people  that  he  saw  one  morning 
a great  number  of  women  and  children  carrying  a child  about 
the  streets  in  a basket,  shouting  as  loudly  as  they  could.  On 
inquiry  he  learned  that  the  mother  had  previously  lost  two  or 
three  children,  who  had  died  when  about  the  age  of  this  one. 
When  such  was  the  case,  they  believed  that  the  same  soul 
which  was  in  the  first  child  had  returned  and  entered  the 
next,  and  that  the  child  would  die  of  its  own  free  will,  unless 

173 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

prevented,  through  mere  spite.  Hence  these  steps  were  taken 
to  cure  it  of  such  practices.  The  child,  while  alive,  was 
besmutted  with  charcoal,  put  into  a basket,  and  carried 
around  the  town,  the  people  taking  care  to  abuse  it  for  its 
wickedness,  or  to  threaten  it,  should  it  die,  with  further 
penalties.  Every  ill  usage  that  could  be  offered,  short  of 
murder,  was  shown  it,  and  should  it  afterwards  die,  in  spite 
of  this  treatment,  its  head  was  sometimes  crushed  with  stones, 
and  the  body,  instead  of  being  buried,  was  thrown  either  into 
the  sea  or  into  the  bush ; these  things  being  done  to  prevent  its 
coming  again  into  another  child.  Some  of  the  people  had  a 
notion  that  such  children  belonged  to  the  ourang-outangs,  and 
that  when  they  died  these  animals  came  to  claim  them.  They 
made  images,  therefore,  and  placed  them  in  the  road  so  that 
the  beasts  might  take  the  images  and  spare  the  children. 

Ghosts  cannot  take  up  their  abode  in  animals,  nor  in  inanimate 
things,  but  those  of  beasts  are  said  to  be  able  to  enter  the  bodies 
of  any  children  of  their  slayers  who  are  conceived  but  unborn  at 
the  time,  and  this  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  more  than  one  case 
has  been  known  of  a child  being  born  with  marks  of  wounds 
exactly  like  those  received  by  his  father  or  mother  when 
fighting  with  an  animal,  or  by  the  animal  itself,  if  the  fight 
took  place  not  long  before  the  child’s  birth.  There  seems  to 
be  a curious  confusion  of  ideas  here ; the  former  phenomenon  is, 
of  course,  familiar  to  us,  but  the  other  is  strange,  and  yet  would 
fit  in  better  with  the  Kagoro  view  of  the  transmigration  of  the 
animal’s  soul.  However,  the  idea  of  transmigration  is  common, 
for  Mr.  Martin  says  of  the  Akra  people  that  the  spirits  of 
departed  ancestors  received  daily  offering  from  their  respective 
fixm i lies,  and  when  a child  was  carried  off  by  a wild  beast,  as 
sometimes  happened,  it  was  supposed  that  the  spirit  of  one  of  the 
departed  ancestors  had  entered  the  beast  in  revenge  for  some 
neglect  on  the  part  of  the  living.  Other  writers  say  that  there  is 
a general  belief  in  West  Africa  that  those  persons  who  kill 
crocodiles,  for  instance,  take  their  form  after  death,  a reversion  of 
the  Kagoro  process.  At  a place  called  Zoutomy  in  the  Vey 
country,  on  the  day  of  the  Banquet  of  the  Dead,  Dr.  Blyden 

174 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

tells  us,  thousands  of  people  make  offerings  of  rice,  flour,  and 
meat  (not  fish)  to  their  ancestors.  At  the  call  of  the  prophetess 
in  charge,  a huge  crocodile  comes  to  her  and  is  fed,  and  this  is 
repeated  until  the  whole  surface  of  the  creek  is  rufHed  by  their 
heads,  the  food  being  distributed  amongst  them.  There  are 
several  of  these  sacred  places,  at  any  of  which  one  may  see  the 
prophetess  go  down  under  the  water,  and  after  an  hour  or  so 
return  to  the  surface  with  her  hair  plaited  and  her  body 
decorated  with  strings  of  beads.  In  New  Guinea  and  the 
East  Indies,  too,  crocodiles  are  frequently  respected  as  being 
the  abode  of  souls  of  ancestors,  and,  on  the  whole,  the  idea  is 
not  much  of  a compliment  to  the  late  lamented. 


175 


CHAPTER  XIV 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS  {continued) 

WHEN  a death  occurs,  which  is,  of  course,  ascribed  to  the 
evil-wishing  of  some  person  or  other,  the  women  related 
to  the  deceased,  and  any  others  eager  for  a little  excite- 
ment, assemble  and  cry  (howl  would  be  a better  word,  perhaps, 
or  shriek)  for  the  rest  of  the  day,  or  if  the  death  occurs  at  night, 
until  next  morning,  and  horns  are  blown.  It  seems  to  be  the 
custom  in  many  parts  to  make  as  much  noise  as  possible  on 
these  occasions,  no  doubt  in  order  to  frighten  away  any  spirits 
which  may  be  still  hovering  around.  When  in  the  Kukuruku 
country,  I heard  great  lamentations  for  one  of  the  wives  of  a chief, 
and  guns  were  fired  off  at  intervals  ; but  the  Ivagoro  do  not  shoot, 
no  doubt  for  the  simple  but  sufficient  reason  that  they  have  no 
firearms.  The  people  of  the  dead  man’s  town  and  of  other  towns 
collect,  and  the  corpse  is  wrapped  in  a new  mat  of  plaited  palm- 
leaves  said  to  be  kept  for  the  purpose.  The  corpse  is  not  pre- 
served in  any  way,  no  coffin  is  used,  nor  is  any  platform  erected 
near  the  house  for  its  reception,  as  I have  seen  elsewhere ; it  is 
simply  left  in  the  house  until  the  grave  has  been  made,  the  guests 
assembled,  and  the  sacrifice  prepared,  and  then  the  burial  takes 
place. 

A grave  is  dug  in  the  compound,  in  somewhat  the  shape  of  a 
bottle  belonging  to  a tantalus,  the  mouth  being  perhaps  three  feet 
in  diameter  and  six  inches  deep,  the  neck  two  feet  across,  and  extend- 
ing downwards  for  a foot  or  so,  and  then  comes  the  body  of  the 
bottle,  perhaps  six  feet  in  diameter,  and  six  to  eight  feet  deep. 
These  measurements  are,  of  course,  only  approximate,  and  the 
shape  may  not  be  universal,  for  the  grave  I saw  was  a Kajji  one 
in  the  towm  of  Abett  on  the  Zaria  border,  but  I was  told  that 
those  of  the  Kagoro  were  similar.  Dr.  C.  G.  Seligmann  tells  me 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

that  he  has  seen  a grave  in  Southern  Kordofan  which  was  in  the 
shape  of  a decanter,  and  had  no  relation  to  the  Dinka  or  Shilluk 
graves.  In  this  case  the  narrow  neck  was  some  five  or  six  feet 
in  length,  so  the  proportion  of  the  different  parts  of  the  grave 
differed  greatly  from  that  of  the  Kajji  one  here  described,  but 
still,  there  is  some  resemblance  in  the  shape,  and  although  there 
can  be  no  connection  between  the  two,  the  fact  is  perhaps  worth 
mentioning. 

A fresh  grave  is  usually  dug  for  each  corpse,  but  there  may  be 
no  objection  to  burying  a body  in  a very  old  grave.  I do  not 
know  how  long  the  corpse  is  kept  before  burial,  the  length  of 
time  may  differ  amongst  the  various  tribes,  but  the  Kajji  girl  who 
had  died  during  the  night  was  to  be  buried  next  day,  though  I 
could  not  stay  to  see  if  this  was  actually  done.  However,  when- 
ever it  may  be,  at  the  appointed  time  the  women  and  children  are 
driven  indoors,  and  the  most  important  men  then  present  carry 
the  corpse  to  the  grave  (only  a few  yards  off*,  unless  the  deceased 
has  died  away  from  home)  amidst  shouting,  blowing  and  drumming. 
The  body  is  then  placed  on  the  ground,  and  the  chief  priest  wishes 
the  soul  good  luck  in  the  spirit  world,  and  hopes  that  the 
deceased’s  relatives  will  keep  well;  and  this  is  possibly  a hint  to 
the  ghost  not  to  worry  them,  for  though  it  can  never  again  re- 
enter the  body  after  it  has  once  passed  the  stream,  it  can  return 
to  its  old  haunts  and  be  the  cause  of  many  an  anxious  moment  to 
the  surviving  relatives. 

Two  men  then  enter  the  grave,  and  the  corpse  is  lowered  in, 
feet  first,  and  made  to  recline  against  one  of  the  sides,  with  its 
face  towards  the  sacred  grove,  according  to  one  account  (and  in 
this  case  the  measurement  of  the  width  of  the  grave  was  given  as 
being  only  about  four  feet  below  the  neck),  or,  as  others  say,  the 
corpse  is  laid  flat  on  the  ground,  that  of  a male  on  its  right  side, 
that  of  a female  on  its  left.  In  the  case  of  the  Kajji  the  bodies 
are  laid  on  the  ground,  with  the  face  upwards,  the  head,  in  the 
case  of  a male,  pointing  to  the  east,  in  the  case  of  a female, 
towards  the  west.  The  two  men  then  climb  out  again,  and  sticks 
are  placed  over  the  mouth  of  the  grave  and  plastered  with  clay 
(or,  as  with  the  Kajji,  a round,  flat  stone  is  found  to  fit  the  cavity), 

177  m 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

and  the  excavated  earth  is  heaped  on  top,  but  none  is  let  fall  into 
the  grave  itself,  nor  are  any  arms  or  food  placed  there.  If  the 
deceased  has  been  an  important  person,  the  head  of  a family  for 
instance,  a goat  will  be  killed  at  the  grave  side  ; if  unimportant,  a 
fowl ; if  it  be  only  a baby,  there  may  be  no  sacrifice.  In  all  cases 
it  is  said  that  branches  of  two  certain  kinds  of  trees  are  intertwined 
and  placed  on  the  grave,  and  a little  of  the  blood  of  the  goat,  or 
whatever  it  may  be,  is  sprinkled  on  them,  the  flesh  being  cooked 
and  divided  amongst  all  the  relatives  and  others  present.  The 
relatives  are  always  summoned ; to  forget  to  do  so  on  one  side, 
and  to  refuse  to  come  without  good  reason  on  the  other,  would  be 
giving  a deadly  insult,  for  as  natives  poetically  put  it,  “ Meat  is 
a message  which  must  not  be  ignored,”  and  this  being  interpreted 
means  that  no  Kagoro  will  miss  a feast  if  he  can  help  it. 

After  this,  a pole  will  be  set  up  on  the  grave,  to  which  are 
strung  all  the  skulls  in  possession  of  the  family,  and  formerly,  if 
the  deceased  had  been  a person  of  importance,  people  were  killed 
on  the  day  of  the  funeral  so  that  their  ghosts  might  accompany 
his,  their  dripping  heads  being  placed  on  the  grave  and  left  there 
until  all  the  flesh  was  gone,  the  skulls  being  then  added  to  the 
other  trophies  of  the  house.  Those  good  old  times  are  gone, 
however,  in  Kagoroland,  and  nowadays  there  is  no  difference  in 
the  procedure  obtaining  between  the  burial  of  a chief  and  that  of 
any  other  person,  except  that  the  family  of  the  latter  might  have 
no  skulls  to  exhibit. 

It  is  thought  by  some  that  head-hunting  is  a survival  of 
cannibalism,  and  certainly  it  might  once  have  been  the  fact  with 
the  Kagoro  that  the  bodies  of  the  victims  slain  were  afterwards 
stowed  away  in  the  stomachs  of  the  mourners  at  the  same  time  as 
their  heads  were  placed  on  the  grave  of  the  deceased  responsible 
for  the  funeral.  But  there  may  be  no  connection  really,  at  any 
rate  in  some  cases,  the  skull  being  the  token  of  the  successful  issue 
of  a dangerous  adventure,  like  the  scalp  was  amongst  the  Indians 
of  North  America,  and  the  war  medal  is  with  us ; and  just  as  the 
soldiers  of  a European  regiment  are  feted  after  their  return  from 
active  service,  so  too  was  the  warrior  honoured  who  brought  back 
a hot  and  dripping  head.  In  some  parts,  such  as  Fiji,  for  instance, 


Some  Kajji  Dandies 

The  youths  dress  their  hair,  sometimes  ornamenting  it  with  brass  rings.  The  loin-covering  of  cloth  or  leather  is  universally  worn  by  men 
of  the  tribes  in  the  Jemaan  Daroro  district,  and,  in  addition,  there  may  be  a cape  of  goatskin  (centre  figure)  or  sheepskin  (on  the  right)  tied 
by  the  legs  over  one  shoulder.  Brass  rings  or  cowrie  shells  may  be  used  to  adorn  this  cape,  and  even  the  bands  of  leather  around  the  loin- 
covering. See  p.  103. 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITION S 

he  was  even  given  a special  name,  and  was  permitted  during  the 
next  few  days  to  besmear  his  face  and  chest  with  a special  mixture 
of  lampblack  differing  from  the  ordinary  war-paint,  and  the  hero 
thus  decorated  would  strut  proudly  through  the  town,  an  object 
of  praise  to  the  old  men  who  had  done  the  same  in  their  youth, 
of  envy  to  his  comrades  who  had  not  been  so  successful,  of  venera- 
tion to  the  small  boys  who  hoped  some  day  to  emulate  his  deeds, 
and  of  tender  interest  to  the  village  belles,  the  latter  by  no  means 
a negligible  incentive.  Dr.  Haddon  says  of  the  people  of  Borneo 
that  one  of  the  chief  incentives  to  procure  heads  was  to  please  the 
women,  and  among  some  tribes  a young  man  had  to  do  this 
before  he  could  marry,  the  possession  of  a head  decapitated  by 
himself  being  a fairly  general  method  employed  by  suitors  to 
ingratiate  themselves  with  the  maiden  of  their  choice.  And  this 
can  be  understood,  for  the  fact  that  a young  man  was  brave  and 
energetic  enough  to  risk  his  life  in  such  a dangerous  game 
promised  well  for  his  ability  to  protect  and  keep  a wife,  and  so 
well  was  this  recognised  that  formerly,  amongst  the  western  tribes 
of  the  Torres  Straits,  a youth  who  had  taken  a skull  would  very 
soon  receive  a proposal  of  marriage  from  some  eligible  young 
woman,  leap  year  or  no  leap  year.  We  know  from  the  Bible 
that  Saul  demanded  a somewhat  similar  proof  of  prowess  from 
David  before  the  latter  married  Michal.  And  we  have  seen  how 
in  the  case  of  the  Kagoro,  a hero  was  honoured  on  his  return  to 
his  home,  being  allowed  to  paint  his  legs  red,  the  women  dancing 
before  him  while  he  was  carried  in  procession  on  the  back  of  a 
friend. 

A raid  to  get  a head  was  amongst  some  tribes  a religious  busi- 
ness, the  warriors  being  excluded  from  intercourse  with  the  women 
and  compelled  to  live  apart.  The  Kagoro  hero  boiled  his  booty 
in  private,  but  of  the  Kiwai  we  are  told  that  the  head  was  hung 
over  a fire  until  all  the  hair  had  been  singed  off,  during  which 
process  all  the  young  girls  of  the  village  assembled  and  danced 
near  the  fire,  singing  all  the  while ; and  after  the  singeing  process 
the  head  was  taken  away  for  the  flesh  to  be  removed,  after  which 
it  was  washed  and  hung  up  on  the  main  post  of  the  house.  But, 
unfortunately,  an  act  of  bravery  was  not  always  a necessity  for  the 

179 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

receipt  of  the  honours,  for  we  learn  from  Mr.  Fison  that  in  Fiji 
the  distinction  of  the  Koroi  was  not  necessarily  earned  by  some 
deed  showing  a noble  self-devotion  and  contempt  of  danger,  for 
he  once  saw  a stout  young  warrior  adorned  with  all  the  paint,  not 
for  slaying  a worthy  foe  in  battle,  but  by  lying  in  wait  among 
some  mangrove  bushes  by  a river,  and  killing  a miserable  and 
defenceless  old  woman  belonging  to  the  hostile  tribe  as  she  crept 
along  the  mud  flat  looking  for  shell-fish.  The  Kagoro  are  said  to 
have  even  removed  the  unborn  child  of  a woman  who  happened  to 
be  butchered,  and  many  of  the  animal  skulls  show  that  there  could 
have  been  no  danger  in  their  acquisition,  yet  they  are  hung  up  in 
the  place  of  honour.  The  Moroa  also  are  not  particular. 

There  is  evidently,  then,  some  other  reason  in  some  cases,  and 
this  is,  so  the  Kagoro  say,  that  the  ghosts  of  the  victims  must 
serve  that  of  the  slayer  in  the  next  world,  every  householder  in 
addition  inheriting  in  some  way  the  benefits  from  the  heads 
collected  by  his  ancestors,  as  well  as  from  those  he  has  himself 
obtained.  Dr.  Haddon  says  that  some  tribes  in  the  islands  about 
Australia  have  a similar  belief,  and  in  the  case  of  such  people 
head-hunting  would  be  a wise  provision  for  the  future,  and  one, 
he  supposes,  which  every  careful  householder  would  endeavour  to 
make ! Again,  the  members  of  a certain  Australian  tribe  hold 
that,  when  a warrior  slays  his  first  man,  the  spirit  of  the  victim 
enters  the  victor’s  body,  and  henceforth  warns  him  of  the  approach 
of  danger,  this  being  rather  like  the  Kagoro  theory  that  the  spirit 
of  a slain  animal  may  enter  an  unborn  child  of  the  slayer. 
Another  reason  is  that  head-hunting  in  some  countries  is  a rite 
precedent  to  the  cultivation  of  the  land,  it  being  necessary  to  show 
the  head  to  the  fields  to  ensure  a good  harvest.  Still,  the  admira- 
tion of  the  fair  sex  and  the  pride  in  the  number  of  trophies  would 
have  a very  great  influence,  though  a father  of  the  Kagoro  and 
surrounding  tribes  did  not  insist  upon  a youth  showing  that  he 
had  not  only  “ a head  on  his  own  shoulders  ” but  one  of  some- 
body else’s  in  his  house  before  he  gave  up  his  daughter  to  the 
eager  suitor’s  care. 

As  for  cannibalism,  various  reasons  are  given  for  the  practice. 
The  tailed  head-hunting  tribes  do  not  indulge  in  the  luxury  of 

180 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 


human  flesh,  at  any  rate  not  now,  but  the  Gannawarri  to  the  east 
and  the  Nadu  to  the  south  do  so,  and  when  some  of  the  latter  tribe 
came  to  visit  me  at  Jemaan  Daroro  in  1908,  I asked  them  the  reason 
why  they  pretended  that  they  had  given  up  the  practice  though 
eight  Hausa  traders  had  been  killed  and  eaten  the  year  before 
(and  an  Ayu  was  treated  in  the  same  way  a few  months  afterwards). 
They  would  not  tell  me,  saying  that  they  did  not  like  human 
flesh,  but  when  I showed  them  my  white  arm,  they  admitted  that 
it  might  be  better  than  chicken,  and  seeing  a hungry  look  in  their 
eyes,  I considered  it  best  to  cover  it  up  again. 

There  is  evidence  to  prove  that,  amongst  many  tribes,  canni- 
balism arose  out  of  a belief  that  eating  a man  caused  his  good  quali- 
ties to  pass  into  the  body  of  the  host,  which  is  only  the  idea  that 
special  foods  have  special  effects  on  the  body,  and  then  on  the 
brain  and  nerves,  carried  a little  further.  So  brave  enemies  were 
eagerly  sought  for,  and  the  more  gallant  the  foe,  the  more  certain 
was  he  of  providing  a 44  joint  of  black  brother  11  for  his  captors,  if 
he  were  unlucky  enough  to  be  taken  prisoner.  Or  again,  the 
victim  might  be  one  famed  for  his  magical  powers,  or  remarkable 
in  some  other  way  above  his  fellows.  Thus  in  Fiji,  mothers  have 
been  known  to  rub  their  babies1  lips  with  the  flesh  of  a warrior 
who  had  been  killed  in  battle,  in  the  belief  that  such  treatment 
would  make  the  infants  grow  up  into  brave  men,  and  elsewhere 
old  people  would  eat  the  bodies  of  babies  that  they  might  renew 
their  youth,  and  charms  were  made  of  pieces  of  the  flesh. 

Another  idea  which  we  can  understand  is  the  thirst  for  revenge 
which  cannot  be  satisfied  with  the  mere  killing  of  an  enemy,  but 
insists  on  his  utter  extermination  and  humiliation.  The  Psalmist 
sings  of  dipping  the  foot  44  in  the  blood  of  thine  enemies,  and  the 
tongue  of  thy  dogs  in  the  same,11  and  again, 44  The  righteous  . . . 
shall  wash  his  feet  in  the  blood  of  the  wicked.11  Thus  Fijians 
would  eat  the  thorns  which  pricked  them,  and  we  know  that  in 
the  English  law  concerning  deodands,  the  weapons  used  by  a 
murderer,  for  instance,  were  confiscated  and  perhaps  destroyed. 

But  even  when  the  death  was  through  misadventure,  the 
instrument  sometimes  had  to  suffer ; thus  Blackstone  mentions 
that  a well  in  which  a person  had  been  drowned  was  filled  up 

181 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

by  order  of  the  coroner,  the  deodands  coming  within  his  juris- 
diction. 

According  to  the  laws  of  Ine  and  Alfred,  says  Dr.  Carter,  the 
thing  causing  the  death  was  forfeited  to  the  kindred,  but  later 
on  to  God  for  the  king.  In  1221  some  persons  fell  out  of  a boat 
on  the  Severn  and  were  drowned,  the  boat  being  then  sold  for 
eighteenpence,  which  money  went  towards  the  building  of  a bridge. 
The  Church  also  claimed  the  proceeds  in  many  cases  on  the  ground 
that  as  the  person  died  unconfessed  the  thing  causing  death 
should  be  devoted  to  buying  masses  for  his  soul,  in  the  same  way 
as  the  apparel  of  a stranger  found  dead  was  applied  to  that  pur- 
pose. In  all  indictments  for  homicide,  the  instrument  of  death, 
the  “ bane,”  and  the  value  were  presented  and  found  by  the  jury 
in  Blackstone’s  time  (thus,  that  the  stroke  was  given  by  a cer- 
tain pen-knife,  value  sixpence)  so  that  the  king  might  claim  the 
deodand. 

Professor  Tylor  says  the  fact  that  the  cartwheel  that  ran  over  a 
man  or  a tree  which  fell  on  him  were  deodand  (given  to  God)  shows 
how  inert  things  were  supposed  to  be  alive  and  conscious,  and  the 
pathetic  custom  of  “ telling  the  bees  ” when  the  master  or  mistress  of 
a house  dies  is  a survival.  This  is  made  clear  in  Germany,  where 
not  only  is  the  news  conveyed  to  every  beehive  and  every  beast  in  the 
stall,  but  every  sack  of  corn  must  be  touched,  and  everything  in 
the  house  shaken,  that  they  may  know  that  their  master  is  no 
more.  Again,  the  expression,  “ I’ll  have  his  blood  for  that,”  is  still 
heard,  and  many  children  have  been  known  to  take  a delight  in 
smashing  up  teeth  after  extraction,  which  had  been  aching,  and 
many  adults,  even,  will  want  to  kick  a table  or  door  which  they 
have  run  up  against.  I always  do  so  myself. 

In  Fiji,  according  to  Mr.  Fison,  no  greater  insult  in  the  way  of 
abuse  can  be  offered  to  a man  than  to  call  him  the  “ Son  of  a Baked 
Father,”  and  he  says  that  more  than  one  instance  has  been  known 
of  a chief  refusing  to  allow  any  one  to  share  with  him  the  body  of 
a particularly  obnoxious  foe.  In  some  countries  the  eating  of  a 
captive  might,  by  sympathetic  magic,  have  an  evil  effect  on  the 
whole  of  the  enemy.  Strangely  enough,  in  Fiji  the  refusal  to  eat 
a captive  was  an  even  worse  humiliation  than  to  eat  him,  not  only  to 

182 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

the  man  himself,  but  even  to  his  whole  tribe,  the  body  being  per- 
haps even  cooked  and  then  left  to  rot  as  too  loathsome  to  be  eaten. 

But  to  find  a human  grave  may  not  only  be  less  humiliating 
than  to  be  left,  it  may  even  indicate  great  respect,  the  victim  being 
eaten  tenderly  with  every  mark  of  affection,  the  kinsfolk  in  certain 
Queensland  tribes  eating  certain  parts  of  the  deceased  as  a charm 
to  prevent  their  remembering  him  and  grieving,  murderers  in 
Prussia  and  Southern  Italy  eating  a part  of  their  victims  for  a 
similar  reason.  Further,  by  eating  part  of  a victim  the  murderer 
would  become  related  to  the  victim's  kinsfolk,  and  so  be  free  of 
the  blood-feud.  The  Gallas,  too,  “ bury  their  dear  ones  in  the 
stomach  instead  of  the  ground,"  according  to  Bottego — in  the  case 
of  some  tribes,  perhaps,  with  the  idea  of  preventing  the  ghosts 
troubling  them.  There  was  often  a sense  of  religious  duty  in  the 
act,  shipwrecked  mariners,  for  instance,  being  supposed  to  have 
incurred  the  wrath  of  the  gods,  and  so  the  captors  had  to  eat 
them  whether  they  wished  to  do  so  or  not,  and  in  other  parts 
the  human  beings  offered  as  sacrifices  were  eaten. 

Lastly,  the  lack  of  animal  food  is  the  reason  ascribed  in  many 
cases,  and  where  there  is  a scarcity  it  may  well  be  the  case,  but 
there  is  no  doubt  that  a longing  for  the  actual  flavour  of  the 
human  meat  is  one  of  the  principal  causes,  it  being  sometimes 
preferred  “ high,"  and  being  kept  in  water  for  the  purpose,  some- 
times seasoned  with  limejuice.  Thus  we  are  told  of  paddocks 
where  “ human  cattle  " were  kept  and  fattened  for  the  market  like 
stall-fed  oxen,  and  when  in  good  condition  would  fetch  about 
twelve  shillings  each,  and  of  the  bodies  of  even  the  nearest  and 
dearest  being  disinterred  and  bartered  for  others  not  coming 
within  the  prohibited  degrees  of  consanguinity.  It  must  be 
horrible  enough  for  captives  to  know  that  they  may  be  eaten  after 
they  are  dead,  but  what  can  we  say  of  the  people  in  the  Congo, 
who,  as  elsewhere  mentioned,  hawk  their  victims  about  piecemeal 
whilst  still  alive,  the  wretched  people  being  led  from  place  to 
place  in  order  that  individuals  might  mark  on  the  body  the  por- 
tions they  wanted  when  it  was  cut  up ! 

In  some  parts  of  the  world  not  only  captives,  but  even  those 
incapacitated  by  age  or  infirmity,  were  eaten  alive,  the  victims 

188 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

voluntarily  suspending  themselves  from  a branch  and  being  killed 
directly  they  fell.  But  the  depths  have  not  even  yet  been  reached, 
for  an  old  writer  quoted  in  Liberia , describing  a battle  between 
two  local  tribes,  says  of  the  victors  that  “ each  female  leaped  on 
to  the  body  of  a wounded  prisoner,  and  passed  from  body  to  body, 
digging  out  eyes,  wrenching  off  lips,  and  slicing  the  flesh  from  the 
quivering  bones,  while  the  queen  of  the  harpies  crept  amid  the 
butchery,  gathering  the  brains  of  each  severed  skull  as  a bonne - 
bouche  for  the  approaching  feast.  After  the  last  victim  had  yielded 
up  his  life  it  did  not  require  long  to  kindle  a fire  and  fill  the  air 
with  the  odour  of  human  flesh.  A pole  was  borne  into  the  apart- 
ment on  which  was  impaled  the  living  body  of  the  conquered 
chieftain’s  wife.  A hole  was  dug,  the  staff'  planted,  and  faggots 
supplied  to  cook  the  meal,  and  after  they  had  eaten  all  they  could, 
the  bushmen  packed  in  plantain  leaves  whatever  flesh  was  left 
over  from  the  orgie,  to  be  conveyed  to  their  friends  in  the  forest.” 
And  lest  this  should  be  thought  to  be  impossible,  it  may  be  said 
that  similar  practices  have  been  observed  in  New  Guinea;  and 
Waff  soldiers  have  told  me  that  when  thev  fought  the  Ganna- 
warri  the  women  came  behind  their  men-folk  carrying  baskets 
over  their  shoulders  and  knives  to  collect  the  “ meat.” 

With  such  peoples  there  must  be  a wild-beast  instinct  for  the 
taste  of  blood,  and  that  this  is  sometimes  bred  in  the  children  is 
shown  by  the  following  facts  which  came  under  my  notice  in 
Zungeru  in  1905,  although  it  would  not  be  safe  to  argue  that  one 
instance  proved  any  universal  rule.  A small  child  belonging  to 
one  of  the  cannibal  tribes  had  been  found  in  the  bush  with  his 
mother  a year  or  so  before,  the  mother  being  already  dead  at  the 
time,  and  when  discovered  the  child  had  eaten  part  of  one  of  her 
breasts.  He  had  been  taken  to  the  Resident  of  the  province,  and 
sent  by  him  to  a home,  and  was  there  taught  various  useful 
accomplishments  like  the  other  boys  in  the  institution.  In  the 
middle  of  1905  a little  girl  in  the  place  died  and  was  left  for  a 
few  hours  during  the  night  in  the  sick  ward  there,  and  the  small 
boy — not  more  than  six  or  seven  at  the  time,  if  that — heard  of  it, 
and,  dodging  the  person  who  was  watching,  got  in,  and  when 
found  in  the  morning  he  had  eaten  half  her  face ! 

184 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 


Compared  with  such  beasts,  the  description  of  whose  practices 
makes  one  want  to  go  and  wipe  them  out,  we  can  turn  again  with 
relief  to  the  Kagoro  and  their  relatively  humane  customs,  though 
it  would  not  be  safe  to  say  that  even  they  have  never  been  guilty 
of  somewhat  similar  cruelties.  I rather  fancy  not,  however,  for 
although  they  captured  a policeman  and  a Court  Messenger  in 
1908  and  afterwards  cut  their  throats,  there  was  no  torturing 
beforehand.  The  Kajji  say  that  they  took  up  head-hunting  only 
because  the  Kagoro  practised  it  on  them,  and  this  is  probably  true, 
for  when  I offered  to  pay  for  skulls  brought  me  I got  five  Kagoro 
heads  from  the  Kajji,  but  I could  not  get  one  from  the  Kagoro, 
nor  would  the  Moroa  produce  any  except  the  five  Gannawarri 
trophies  which  they  had  obtained  by  treachery,  and  which  I forced 
them  to  give  up. 

But  to  return  to  the  death  ceremonies.  At  the  expiration  of 
seven  days  the  relatives  living  in  the  deceased’s  quarter  prepare 
akann , or  native  guinea-corn  beer,  and  this  is  drunk  some  four 
days  later  by  the  adult  males  of  the  place,  the  feast  lasting  three 
days  if  possible.  Why  the  number  is  always  three  I do  not  know, 
but  I am  told  that  this  is  the  case,  and  there  is  evidently  some 
magic  in  it,  for  we  have  seen  that  the  incantations  and  sprinklings 
are  alwrays  in  threes.  A big  pot,  some  three  feet  high  and  from 
twelve  to  eighteen  inches  in  diameter,  full  of  alcann , is  first  brought 
to  the  grave,  on  which  fresh  branches  have  been  placed,  and  the 
most  important  man  present — one  of  the  priests,  usually  the  chief 
priest — dips  a calabash  into  the  pot  and  pours  a little  akann  (a 
very  little)  on  the  grave  around  the  branches,  at  the  same  time 
saying  mystic  words.  This  is  done  three  times,  the  rest  of  the 
people  sitting  in  a circle,  and  then  a goat,  or  one  to  three  fowls, 
having  been  killed,  the  blood  is  sprinkled  on  the  branches  as 
before,  and  the  flesh  is  roasted  close  by.  A kind  of  porridge  of 
grain  ( tuk ) is  eaten  together  with  the  meat,  and  an  onslaught  is 
made  upon  the  akann. 

After  the  pot  has  been  emptied  all  go  to  their  houses,  and  then 
the  adult  males  repair  to  the  sacred  grove  and  drink  whatever  else 
has  been  prepared  by  the  family,  the  women  and  children  being 
also  supplied  with  the  good  cheer,  but  being  forced  to  drink  it 

185 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

within  their  own  houses,  for  it  is  dangerous  to  be  about  at  such 
times.  The  drumming  and  horn-blowing  are  kept  up  at  intervals 
as  long  as  the  beer  holds  out,  but,  alas  ! it  comes  to  an  end  at  last, 
and  the  merrymakers  disperse,  a good  deal  the  worse  for  wear,  but 
none  the  less  eager  for  the  next  bit  of  good  luck  in  the  way  of  a 
death  or  some  other  event  which  will  again  give  them  a chance  to 
get  gloriously  drunk. 

With  Moroa  people,  on  the  death  of  a chief,  his  son  (or  heir 
if  he  has  no  son)  must  provide  a mare  which  is  led  around  the 
assembled  guests  by  a laughing  woman  who  is  dressed  up  for 
the  occasion.  It  is  absolutely  necessary  that  a mare  should  be 
obtained  for  the  funeral — should  the  heir  neglect  to  do  so  the 
ghost  of  the  deceased  will  never  give  him  any  peace — and  she 
must  be  sold  afterwards ; if  not  she  will  die.  Why  the  woman 
should  have  to  be  laughing  is  past  my  comprehension,  but  that 
is  what  I was  told,  and  so  I suppose  it  must  be  correct,  and  after 
all,  it  is  quite  a mistake  to  suppose  that  people  must  necessarily 
look  glum  on  these  occasions,  for  we  need  not  go  far — only  to 
Ireland,  in  fact — to  find  a parallel  to  these  apparently  festive 
funerals. 

Both  sexes  paint  a black  stripe  from  forehead  to  stomach 
about  an  inch  wide  all  the  way  down,  and  the  women  will  prob- 
ably cover  their  whole  bodies  with  red  earth  now,  even  if  they  do 
not  do  so  at  other  times,  and  the  men  their  legs  from  the  knees 
downwards.  On  the  seventh  day  after  death  all  the  household  of 
the  deceased,  except  the  wives,  shave  their  heads,  but  the  women, 
being  always  shaved  at  ordinary  times,  now  let  their  hair  grow  as 
a sign  of  mourning  for  a month — or  until  married  again,  if  that 
be  sooner — and  they  remove  their  tails,  not  wearing  them  again 
unless  remarried.  I am  not  sure  if  the  Kagoro  regard  these 
changes  in  their  attire  as  a means  for  deceiving  the  departed 
spirit  so  that  it  will  not  know  them  again  (imagine  any  one 
accusing  us  of  doing  such  a thing),  or  whether  the  hair  is  offered 
as  a substitute  so  that  the  man  may  be  left  alive,  but  I fancy 
that  even  if  either  idea  once  existed,  it  holds  good  no  longer, 
for  the  people  can  always  lay  a troublesome  ghost  by  means  of 
beer,  and  there  are  but  few  amongst  them  who  object  to  refreshing 

186 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

their  memories  and  their  throats  at  times.  Should  any  of  the 
family  dream  of  the  departed,  beer  must  be  provided  at  once. 

The  Aragga,  a tribe  to  the  south  of  Jemaan  Daroro,  and 
north  of  Lafia  Beriberi,  are  said  to  smear  the  corpse  of  a chief 
with  grease,  and  they  may  keep  it  near  a fire  for  a month  or  so ; 
the  grease  being  probably  a medicinal  ointment,  and  the  fire 
(the  smoke  from  it  ?)  helping  to  preserve  the  body.  It  is  then 
buried  together  with  the  favourite  wife,  child,  and  three  attend- 
ants, who  have  been  killed  for  the  purpose,  and  also  the  chief's 
horse  and  one-half  of  his  clothes  and  other  possessions;  and  it 
is  well  to  note  in  this  connection  that  officers'  chargers  are  even 
now  often  led  behind  the  bodies  of  their  masters  at  military 
funerals,  the  riding-boots  being  reversed  in  the  stirrups,  and  in 
Germany  up  to  1781  the  chargers  were  shot.  Other  animals 
have  also  been  in  the  procession,  and  one  often  hears  of  cases  of 
people  having  their  pets  and  some  particular  articles  of  jewellery 
(especially  wedding  rings)  buried  with  them. 

In  such  cases,  no  doubt,  the  idea  still  holds  that  the  ghosts 
of  these  people,  animals,  &c.  will  accompany  that  of  the  chief, 
though  there  is  amongst  some  peoples  a baser  motive  in  killing 
off*  the  widow,  namely  that  of  depriving  her  of  her  right  of 
inheriting  her  husband’s  property,  the  principal  reason  for  the 
introduction  of  suttee  by  the  Hindus.  Where  the  belief  still 
exists  amongst  a tribe,  I would  suggest,  not  the  absolute  prohibi- 
tion of  such  practices  and  the  ridicule  of  the  tenets  of  their 
religion,  but  the  introduction  of  the  idea  that  substitutes  and 
representations  can  be  used  instead,  such  as  animals  for  human 
beings,  and  later  on  models  in  wood  or  even  paper  for  these. 
The  idea  is  not  opposed  to  either  the  principles  of  common 
sense  or  of  science,  for  such  a process  of  substitution  is  known 
to  have  been  developed  in  China,  and  it  can  be  observed  in  part 
even  in  West  Africa,  where  certain  Guinea  negroes  pretend  to 
sacrifice  a sheep  or  goat  to  their  fetish,  but  feed  upon  it  with 
their  friends,  only  leaving  for  the  deity  himself  part  of  the 
entrails  which  they  do  not  want.  In  other  cases  a part  of  the 
body,  such  as  a finger  (for  which  in  further  development  a piece 
of  valuable  metal  was  substituted)  or  a lock  of  hair  was  con- 

187 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

sidered  to  do  as  well,  a very  satisfactory  conclusion  for  the  person 
who  would  have  otherwise  been  the  victim.  A belief  in  the 
efficacy  of  substitution  would  soon  automatically  put  an  end  to 
the  sacrifices  of  human  beings,  for,  after  all,  every  one  is  fond  of 
life,  and  most  of  these  practices  are  performed  from  religious 
motives,  whereas  a violent  prohibition  would,  of  course,  stop  all 
open  performances,  but  would  not  stamp  them  out,  and  a good 
many  would  still  be  carried  out  in  secret. 

Again,  to  come  back  to  ourselves,  as  I always  try  to  do  in 
describing  customs  which  at  first  sight  appear  strange,  as 
Professor  Tylor  says,  the  offering  of  the  model  of  his  diseased 
limb  by  a sufferer  is  distinctly  of  the  nature  of  a sacrifice, 
whether  it  be  a propitiatory  offering  before  the  cure,  or  a 
thank-offering  afterwards,  and  there  are  other  matters  which 
will  occur  to  the  reader  but  are  better  not  mentioned  in  a 
book  like  this. 

Flour  and  water  will  be  poured  over  the  graves  of  important 
men  at  the  next  harvest,  so  that  their  ghosts  may  not  be  hungry, 
but  this  is  done  only  once,  and  there  will  also  be  a pot  of  akann 
at  the  same  time,  or  if  that  be  too  soon,  at  the  first  harvest  after 
the  anniversary. 

Almost  every  people  have  attached  great  importance  to  the 
funeral  and  other  ceremonies  for  the  dead,  the  motives  ranging 
from  natural  love  and  affection  to  fear,  and  from  rational  sorrow 
to  the  deification  of  the  departed,  some  of  the  most  magnificent 
wonders  of  architecture  being  due  to  the  last-named  cause.  The 
offerings  of  flowers  upon  the  graves  of  friends,  relatives,  and 
parents  are  an  indication  of  the  sentiments  which  originated 
in  the  institution  of  ancestor-worship,  the  dead  parents  being 
pictured  as  real  beings  exercising  a beneficial  influence  on  the 
conduct  of  the  living  descendants,  being,  in  fact,  guardian 
angels.  We  have  ourselves  heard  expressions  like  “I  wonder 
if  your  grandfather  can  see  you  now”  and  imagine  we  see  looks 
of  approval  or  the  reverse  in  the  faces  of  pictures  of  dead  an- 
cestors. We  regard  the  soul  as  having  a continued  existence,  and 
some  authorities  maintain  that  the  praises  (often  undeserved) 
lavished  upon  the  dead,  and  the  heavy  tombstones  placed  on 

188 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 


their  graves,  are  survivals  of  the  time  when  the  ghosts  were 
flattered  so  that  they  might  feel  no  anger  against  the  living, 
and  were  weighted  down  so  that  they  could  not  get  up  to  earth 
again  even  had  they  wished  to  do  so.  The  ghosts  of  suicides 
were  especially  feared,  and  the  extraordinary  precautions  taken 
with  the  bodies  of  persons  who  had  taken  their  own  lives  were 
abolished  only  as  late  as  last  century. 

Again,  the  feasts  held  on  All  Souls1  Day  are,  in  imagination, 
a feeding  of  spirits,  the  object  being  to  alleviate  the  sufferings  of 
the  souls  in  purgatory  by  offerings  on  earth ; “ a commemoration 
of  the  dead,11  says  Professor  Tylor,  “ which  combines  some  touches 
of  pathetic  imagination  with  relics  of  savage  animism  scarcely  to 
be  surpassed  in  Africa  or  the  South  Sea  Islands.11  In  Italy  the 
day  is  given  to  feasting  and  drinking  in  honour  of  the  dead, 
skulls  and  even  skeletons  in  sugar  and  paste  forming  appropriate 
toys  for  children.  In  England  we  can  find  a lingering  survival 
of  the  rite  of  funeral  sacrifice  even  to  this  day  in  the  soul-mass 
cakes  which  girls  beg  for  at  farmhouses,  and  we  know  that  by  one 
of  the  Saxon  tenures  ( frankalmoigne ) a religious  corporation  held 
lands  on  the  condition  of  praying  for  the  souls  of  the  grantor  and 
his  heirs,  their  tenure  being  spiritual  and  not  feudal. 

It  is  often  thought  that,  natives  being  simple  and  ignorant  like 
children,  a study  of  the  latter  will  go  a great  way  towards  the 
understanding  of  the  former ; for  there  are  similar  limitations 
to  the  intelligence,  as  this  little  story  will  show — a true  one,  or 
else  there  would  be  no  point  in  putting  it  here.  A fond  mother 
had  been  telling  her  little  son,  aged  three,  who  was  always  afraid 
of  the  dark,  about  the  guardian  angels  around  him,  and  that  he 
should  not,  therefore,  be  afraid,  and  to  emphasise  her  point,  she 
had  brought  him  a coloured  picture  showing  a beautiful  winged 
figure  floating  in  a protective  attitude  over  a small  boy.  Her 
little  son  examined  the  picture  with  intense  interest,  and  the 
mother,  feeling  that  she  had  duly  impressed  him  with  the  loving 
care  of  the  guardian  angel,  asked  him  what  he  thought  of  it. 

He  regarded  it  with  great  interest  for  a long  time,  and  then 
66  Oh,  mummy,11  he  exclaimed  with  joy,  “that  little  boy  has  got 
braces  just  like  me ! 11  And  one  has  to  be  just  as  sure  when 

189 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

questioning  natives  that  they  really  understand  the  point  upon 
which  one  is  trying  to  obtain  information. 

We  are,  nowadays,  so  much  accustomed  to  regard  our 
deceased  ancestors  as  good  spirits,  that  we  cannot  at  first  under- 
stand the  Kagoro  view  that  the  only  reason  for  which  they  visit 
their  living  relatives  is  to  annoy  them.  We  imagine  our  “ guar- 
dian angels”  to  be  always  anxious  for  our  good;  the  Kagoro 
thinks  that  his  ghosts  will  do  him  a bad  turn  unless  propitiated, 
and  it  is  mainly  upon  these  grounds  that  they  are  consulted  about 
important  events,  such  as  the  undertaking  of  war,  the  formation 
of  a hunting  party,  or  the  building  of  a house  on  new  ground, 
though  the  assent  of  the  ghosts — obtained  through  the  elders — 
was  always  forthcoming  if  the  dkann  was  good  and  sufficient. 
Corresponding  to  this  in  some  degree  are  the  facts  that  in  the 
days  of  chivalry  the  young  knight  had  to  pass  some  time  in  a 
church  before  setting  out  to  put  things  right,  and  even  now 
regimental  colours  are  blessed.  The  object  of  the  libations  of 
blood  and  dkann  is  that  the  ghost  of  the  deceased  may  not  get 
hungry  or  thirsty,  and  return  to  harass  his  relatives.  It  cannot 
worry  any  one  but  its  own  people,  and  it  therefore  differs  from 
the  soul  of  a living  body ; and  the  idea  that  those  who  succeed  to 
the  property  of  the  deceased  are  responsible  for  the  proper  per- 
formance of  the  funeral  rites  is  seen  plainly  in  this,  an  idea  with 
which  we  in  England  are  familiar. 

It  is  thought  that  the  spirits  of  the  dead  would  find  no  rest 
unless  honoured  in  the  proper  fashion,  though  certain  allowances 
are  made  when  it  has  been  impossible  to  bury  the  deceased  in  the 
usual  way  (through  having  been  eaten  by  wild  beasts,  for  instance, 
or,  perhaps,  carried  away  by  a river),  and  if  they  are  not  treated 
properly,  they  will  certainly  vent  their  displeasure  upon  their 
neglectful  relatives.  Even  after  the  proper  rites  have  been 
performed,  if  any  member  of  the  family  dreams  of  the  deceased, 
akann  must  be  procured  next  morning,  for  that  is  clear  proof  that 
he  has  visited  the  house  during  the  night  (the  ghost  being 
exactly  like  the  man  was  when  alive)  to  let  the  relatives  know 
that  he  is  thirsty.  If  there  be  none  in  the  house,  it  must  be 
obtained  elsewhere,  some  being  poured  on  the  grave  three  times 

190 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

as  before ; but  no  flesh  is  provided,  nor  are  branches  again  placed 
there.  The  most  important  man  present  will  ask  the  ghost  how 
he  is,  and  when  he  has  finished  his  oblations,  he  will  invoke  the 
Supreme  God,  begging  him  not  to  let  trouble  come  upon  the 
family. 

The  principal  people  at  these  rites  are  always  the  priests,  or 
medicine-men,  and  they  may  be  the  only  persons  present  who  are 
not  related  to  the  deceased,  for  although  the  immediate  relatives 
might  not  have  enough  beer  to  suffice  for  the  guests  were  they  to 
ask  all  their  friends  outside  the  family  circle,  they  would  hardly 
dare  to  offend  these  powerful  personages  by  omitting  to  send  them 
an  invitation.  There  are  no  priestesses,  only  priests,  and  these  are 
given  presents  for  special  work,  and  are  not  paid  regular  salaries, 
their  chief  having  even  more  influence  than  the  cigwam.  They 
foretell  events  not  by  haruspication,  but  by  examining  a bowl  of 
water  into  which  a little  flour  has  been  thrown,  or  by  counting  lip 
ornaments  threaded  on  a string,  but  they  do  not  go  into  convul- 
sions or  trances.  They  have  no  power  over  the  fate  of  the  ghosts 
so  far  as  being  able  to  send  them  to  another  place  is  concerned, 
for  there  is  only  one  after-world,  the  sacred  grove,  and  all  spirits 
go  there  when  they  leave  their  bodies,  whether  chief  or  poor  man, 
whether  good  or  bad ; and  in  fact,  the  worse — or  at  any  rate,  the 
stronger — the  men  are  on  earth,  the  more  influential  will  their 
ghosts  be  after  death.  But  the  priests  are  supposed  to  have  more 
influence  with  the  Supreme  God  in  other  ways  than  ordinary  men, 
as,  for  instance,  when  praying  for  rain,  and  they  have  certain 
powers  over  the  ghosts,  for  they  can  always  summon  them  for 
a conference  on  an  important  matter,  such  as  the  declaration 
of  war  or  the  making  of  peace,  by  providing  enough  beer. 

Priests  are  usually  trained  by  their  fathers  or  uncles,  the 
secrets  being  kept  in  the  family,  and  I could  not,  of  course,  find 
out  what  they  were,  but  all  I heard  was  various  shouts  and  grunts 
(imitations  of  the  sounds  of  animals,  perhaps ; there  seemed  to  be 
nothing  mysterious  about  them),  and  they  cannot  perform  any 
tricks  of  sleight  of  hand.  The  Waiwai  priests  dress  themselves  in 
whole  suits  of  string  dyed  black,  having  large  headpieces  of  palm 
fibre,  with  horns  and  red  seeds  affixed,  and  I can  easily  imagine 

191 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

that  meeting  such  an  object  on  a dark  night  would  give  one 
rather  a shock,  especially  as  rattles,  bells,  and  other  instruments 
of  torture  are  hung  about  the  body  in  various  places.  But  the 
Kagoro  seem  to  do  nothing  of  this  kind ; they  merely  smear  their 
faces  with  red  earth,  and  rush  about  shouting  to  frighten  the 
women  and  children.  Apparently  they  are  successful  in  this,  for 
females  and  infants  are  not  allowed  to  leave  their  houses  at  night, 
and  no  doubt  this  accounts  in  a great  measure  for  the  morality  of 
the  fair  sex. 

Dreams  of  animals  are  not  feared,  and  if,  therefore,  they 
have  ghosts,  they  are  not  malignant,  and,  alas  for  the  dreamers, 
there  is  no  need  to  have  a feast  of  guinea-corn  beer  next  day  as 
in  the  case  of  the  appearance  of  a member  of  the  family.  A 
thirsty  man,  no  doubt,  has  many  visions,  and,  needless  to  say,  he 
dreams  of  departed  ancestors,  thus  ensuring  another  glorious 
66  drunk,11  and  not  of  dead  animals,  which,  having  had  no  acquain- 
tance with  beer  during  life,  have  no  longing  for  it  afterwards. 


192 


CHAPTER  XV 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS  {continued) 

THE  Kagoro  say  that  the  sun  falls  into  a great  water  when  it 
sets,  and  the  fire  in  it  is  then  put  out.  The  water  is  some 
imaginary  lake,  or  else  the  Kaduna  or  other  great  river  to 
the  west,  for  there  is  no  lake  near  them,  but  I do  not  think  that 
the  Kaduna  is  meant,  because  it  rises  as  a small  stream  a few  miles 
to  the  east,  flowing  in  a wide  semi-circle  westwards.  It  is  possible 
that  they  have  heard  of  the  Niger,  and  that  this  is  the  great  water 
referred  to  ; and  if  they  have  not  themselves  come  from  the  west, 
but  from  the  south  as  they  say,  an  account  of  this  river  may  have 
been  brought  by  the  Kajji,  who  got  it  from  people  farther  to  the 
west  again.  The  sun  is  thought  to  travel  back  to  the  east  behind 
the  Gannawarri  hills  by  night,  and  by  a higher  route,  so  that  no 
one  can  see  it,  and  it  is  there  given  fresh  fire  by  the  Supreme  God 
and  sent  on  its  way  again  next  morning. 

If  any  tree  or  house  is  set  on  fire  by  lightning,  all  the  people 
will  at  once  quench  their  fires  and  hasten  to  the  spot  with  bundles 
of  grass  to  get  new  fire  to  rekindle  them.  To  neglect  this  would 
show  that  the  person  so  doing  possessed  black  magic,  and  did  not 
want  to  change  his  fire,  and  there  is  evidently  some  connection 
between  fire  and  magic,  for  we  have  seen  that  souls  glow  like  fire 
at  night,  and  it  is  easy  to  understand  that  the  ignition  of  a house 
by  a flash  of  lightning  would  make  a native  believe  that  it  had 
been  sent  by  God,  for  he  had  just  seen  that  it  had  come  from 
above.  For  this  reason  many  people  are  very  careful  never  to  let 
it  go  out,  but  with  the  Kagoro  there  seems  to  be  no  special  reli- 
gious idea  as  regards  this.  Fire  is  naturally  said  to  have  originated 
in  the  world  from  lightning,  but  it  was  obtained  later  by  the  fric- 
tion of  two  pieces  of  wood  in  what  is  called  the  44  upright  method,” 
several  kinds  of  wood  being  used  for  that  purpose,  and  I believe 

193  n 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

the  Filani,  in  certain  parts,  still  make  their  fires  in  this  way.  The 
next  method  was  by  striking  steel  on  pyrites  or  flint,  and  this  is 
now  very  common,  little  leather  purses  containing  the  necessary 
implements  being  found  in  all  directions,  and  probably  emanating 
from  one  and  the  same  source — the  Hausa  blacksmith. 

But  if  there  is  no  religious  reason  for  keeping  the  fire  alight, 
there  is  an  economic  necessity  to  save  the  wood,  for  women  have 
to  go  some  miles  to  get  it,  and,  though  now,  when  once  fire  has 
been  brought  to  a house  it  is  practically  never  allowed  to  go  out, 
except  when  fresh  is  sent  from  heaven,  I daresay  the  practice  will 
gradually  be  dropped  as  matches  are  introduced.  The  first  fire 
for  a new  house  is  obtained  from  the  nearest  neighbour,  who  will 
probably  be  the  parent ; there  is  no  need  to  wait  in  order  to  get 
it  fresh  from  lightning. 

Fires  for  warming  and  cooking  purposes  are  formed  by  arranging 
three  logs  on  the  ground  like  spokes  of  a wheel ; one  end  of  each 
almost  touches  the  one  end  of  each  of  the  others,  and  a fire  is 
lighted  in  the  triangular  space  thus  made.  As  a bit  is  burnt  away 
a log  is  pushed  towards  the  centre,  and  although  there  may  be 
no  actual  flame,  this  kind  of  fire  seems  to  be  almost  inextinguish- 
able, except,  of  course,  in  rain.  It  is  wonderful  to  see  how  long 
even  a stick  will  keep  burning  under  proper  treatment,  the  embers 
being  sometimes  placed  in  chaff'  to  prevent  too  rapid  combustion. 

Generally,  magic  is  harmful,  and  all  accused  of  using  it  are  in 
danger,  though  this  is  not  universal  amongst  natives,  for  other 
writers  have  stated  that  men  of  certain  tribes  they  have  visited 
are  pleased  to  have  the  reputation  of  being  able  to  perform  won- 
derful acts.  No  Kagoro,  therefore,  will  own  to  having  the  power 
of  black  magic,  but  every  man  possesses  some  of  the  white  variety, 
at  any  rate  while  in  his  own  house,  it  being  useful,  apparently,  in 
correcting  his  wives  and  children.  Charms  for  warding  off  danger 
exist,  but  they  do  not  seem  to  be  worn  on  the  person,  and  there 
are  philtres  for  various  purposes,  such  as  making  a wife  cleave  to 
her  husband.  If  a man  has  been  wounded  with  a spear  or  a sword, 
and  the  place  refuses  to  heal,  the  weapon,  if  obtainable,  is  washed 
with  water,  which  is  drunk  by  the  sufferer,  and  he  will  recover. 

In  1907,  when  at  Amar,  I made  a life-size  figure-target  to 

194 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

represent  a man  firing,  and  set  it  up  in  the  barrack-square  to  give 
the  men  practice  in  aiming  before  transferring  it  to  the  range. 
The  next  day  I was  begged  to  take  it  away,  for  some  of  the  women 
had  seen  it  and  feared  a miscarriage,  and  I was  assured  that  if  it 
were  left  there  no  births  would  occur  that  year  amongst  the  police 
women.  I was  also  asked  to  keep  the  face  quite  clear  of  any  lines 
or  spots,  for  if  there  were  any  tribal  marks  on  it,  those  men  having 
scarifications  resembling  them  would  die  if  the  target  were  pierced, 
this,  I could  understand,  being  sympathetic  magic,  but  the  com- 
plaint of  the  women  seemed  to  be  carrying  the  idea  of  the  evii-eye 
rather  far.  However,  I removed  it  as  requested,  and  I painted 
the  face  white,  so  that  they  might  shoot  in  comfort,  for  the  fact 
that  I did  not  understand  their  reasoning  was  no  excuse  for  laugh- 
ing at  it.  Still,  there  are  certain  times  when  one  has  to  object. 
At  Jemaan  Daroro,  for  instance,  on  one  occasion,  I found  that  the 
Mada(i)ki  had  not  obeyed  my  order  to  go  to  his  district,  and  on 
asking  the  reason,  I was  told  that  the  stars  had  not  been  propi- 
tious. I told  him  that  although  he  might  be  quite  right  to  consult 
them  when  going  on  his  own  business,  he  must  leave  the  time  to 
me  when  on  my  business,  and  that  I should  be  responsible  as  to 
its  suitability.  The  work  was  important,  and  he  did  it  without 
any  mishap,  and  I was  relieved,  for  had  an  accident  occurred  my 
astronomical  powers  might  have  been  doubted. 

The  name  of  an  individual  is  never  hidden,  for  such  a course 
would  not  help  him  to  escape  the  evil-wisher  who  catches  his  soul 
or  takes  his  liver,  and  does  not  work  his  ill  by  simply  calling  his 
name,  nor  can  he  do  it  by  obtaining  locks  of  hair  or  nail-parings 
of  his  intended  victim. 

Formerly  no  woman  of  any  age  could  eat  a dog  or  a fowl,  for 
they  were  supposed  to  belong  in  some  way  to  the  mysteries  of 
witchcraft  in  which  women  have  no  part,  and  also  the  tichiaJc 
would  prevent  it,  but  there  is  no  longer  any  restriction  of  any 
kind  imposed  upon  old  women  with  regard  to  any  food.  This  is 
probably  because  they  have  grown  out  of  their  fears  and  fancies, 
and  would  not  regard  any  rules  of  the  kind,  which  were  no  doubt 
invented  by  the  men  so  as  to  ensure  that  there  should  always  be 
plenty  of  these  particular  delicacies  for  themselves. 

195 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

In  1904,  when  coming  up  the  Kaduna,  I bought  a young  turtle, 
which  I handed  to  the  cook,  an  Ijo  boy,  for  the  purpose  of  having 
it  converted  into  soup.  He  flatly  refused  to  kill  it,  saying  that  it 
was  his  brother,  and  took  it  away  to  the  stern  of  the  barge  ; there 
he  talked  to  it  for  a long  time,  finally  asking  me  to  let  it  go,  and 
offering  to  pay  the  price.  Unfortunately,  I had  not  commenced 
the  study  of  anthropology  at  the  time,  and  beyond  being  amused, 
I took  no  further  interest,  but  I let  the  animal  go,  as  the  boy 
seemed  so  anxious,  and  I did  not  much  relish  the  idea  of  eating 
anything  which  had  been  petted.  I wonder  if  it  was  a totem  ! 

I was  told  that  all  male  Kagoro  eat  with  spoons,  except  in  the 
case  of  a medicine,  but  this  is  extremely  doubtful,  even  when  the 
people  are  at  home,  and  it  certainly  does  not  apply  at  other  times, 
for  I have  had  chiefs  with  me,  and  they  had  no  spoons  then.  The 
use  of  such  articles  is  said  to  be  forbidden,  except  to  men,  so 
that  the  father  may  not  hear  his  women-folk  and  young  children 
eating  their  meals,  the  latter  taking  their  food  with  the  right 
hand — possibly  an  idea  learned  from  the  Mohammedans,  and 
strictly  observed  by  them  because  other  things  of  a different 
nature  are  done  with  the  left.  The  spoons  are  made  of  wood,  or 
from  calabashes  specially  grown  with  a long  neck  and  a ball  at 
the  end  so  that  when  cut  in  two,  lengthwise,  they  form  a pair  of 
spoons.  I found  a double  wooden  spoon  at  Jigya,  but  cannot 
imagine  what  it  could  have  been  used  for,  and  there  were  also  some 
made  of  brass,  obtained  from  the  Hausawa. 

There  is  no  particular  magic  in  a name  amongst  the  Kagoro 
and  other  head -hunting  tribes,  and  even  dead  people  are  spoken 
of  as  in  life,  though  they  would  not  be  abused  lest  the  ghosts 
should  hear  and  punish.  A Kagoro  woman  will  call  her  husband, 
even  the  first  one,  by  his  name,  after  she  has  been  married  a 
couple  of  days,  though  a Filani  or  Hausa  may  never  do  so ; in 
fact,  amongst  the  latter  people  such  a thing  is  an  offence,  and 
there  is  a song,  apparently  a prayer,  which  goes  Allah , na  tuba , 
na  faddi  sunan  mijjina,  “ O God,  I repent,  I have  spoken  the 
name  of  my  husband.”  Kagoro  husbands  will  also  name  their 
wives,  parents  their  children,  and  men  themselves,  whereas  with 
the  Filani,  and  I think  the  Hausawa  also,  the  eldest  child  is  never 

196 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

known  by  its  real  name,  but  by  some  nickname  bestowed  upon  it 
at  the  same  time.  Thus  the  wife  of  one  of  the  Court  Messengers 
was  known  as  Yar  Jekada  (44  Daughter  of  the  Tax  Collector  ”), 
though  her  real  name,  almost  forgotten,  even  by  the  woman 
herself,  was  Ashetu. 

Again,  children  may  be  named  after  special  events ; for 
instance,  several  girls  are  called  44  Wife  of  the  Whiteman,” 
on  account  of  their  having  been  born  when  a European  was 
in  the  vicinity.  They  may  also  have  names  of  animals, 
possibly  because  it  is  suspected  that  the  ghost  of  one  has 
become  the  soul  of  the  child,  or  simply  because  one  of  the 
species  was  caught  on  its  birthday ; compare  our  own  custom 
of  christening  children  born  on  Christmas  Day,  Noel,  and  even 
Melbourne,  Tasma,  &c.,  after  the  names  of  towns  where  the 
interesting  event  took  place. 

Kagoro  wives  do  not  mind  their  husbands  seeing  them  suckling 
their  children,  but  many  Filani  and  Hausawa  do  not  allow  this, 
at  any  rate  with  their  firstborn,  on  account  of  the  sense  of  shame 
which  they  are  supposed  to  feel,  and  so  far  is  this  carried  in  some 
cases,  that  the  mother  will  not  allow  her  eldest  child  to  be  near 
her  when  her  husband  is  present,  although  she  may  really  be 
very  fond  of  it. 

Some  of  the  slave  names  amongst  these  people  are  rather 
interesting,  being  composed  of  a whole  sentence  (like  our  44  Praise 
God  Barebones”),  or  even  of  two  sentences,  the  latter  being 
spoken  by  the  person  addressed  thus,  44  The  King  of  Slaves,” 
and  the  person  named  replies,  44  is  God.”  44  There  is  no  one  who 
can  do  it”— 44  except  God.”  Again,  44  Ask  God” — 44  and  you 
will  obtain  it.”  44 You  hoped  that  I should  become  destitute” 
— 44  God  willed  that  I should  be  fortunate”;  but  the  whole  of 
the  sentence  is  rarely  said,  the  first  couple  of  words  sufficing  in 
each  case,  the  rest  being  understood. 

Women  and  children  are  not  allowed  near  the  sacred  grove 
under  penalty  of  death  by  stoning,  nor  can  they  ever  speak  of 
ghosts ; even  their  own  relatives  would  kill  them  lest  their 
impiety  should  bring  disaster  upon  the  whole  family.  By  this 
means  the  husbands  manage  to  keep  their  wives  in  subjection, 

197 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

and  the  husbands  are  in  turn  overawed  by  the  priests  through  the 
fear  of  false  accusations.  It  is  a strange  fact  that  almost  every- 
where the  women  are  much  more  influenced  by  religion  than  men, 
and  it  is  usually  through  the  wives  that  the  priests  exercise  their 
power  over  the  people.  One  of  the  causes  is  no  doubt  due  to 
the  more  emotional  nature  of  women,  another  may  be  that 
they  are  usually  less  educated  and  less  worldly-wise  when  adult, 
for  they  have  not  had  the  same  advantages  in  training  their 
faculties  as  their  men-folk  have  had,  although  they  may  be 
quite  as  clever  naturally,  or  even  much  more  so.  It  is  often 
put  forward  as  an  argument  that  a man’s  brain  weighs  much 
more  than  a woman's,  but  some  have  pointed  out  that,  allowing 
for  the  size  of  the  body,  the  proportion  of  grey  matter  to  muscle 
and  bone  is  about  equal  in  both  sexes.  I rather  think  that  a 
good  deal  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the  mother  has  much  more 
connection  with  the  birth  of  children  than  has  the  father,  and 
the  wonder  of  the  creation  of  a new  living  being  is  more  forcibly 
brought  home  to  her.  Thus  she  is  more  ready  to  accept  a 
religion  which  will  explain  any  of  the  emotions  she  feels  at 
such  a time,  and  this  is  more  likely  to  be  the  case,  in  that 
her  life,  being  less  exciting  than  that  of  her  husband,  gives  her 
more  time  to  think  over  and  brood  upon  such  matters.  Not  that 
a native  woman  has  time  to  sit  down  with  nothing  else  to  do,  but 
that  her  work  takes  her  less  out  of  herself,  and  seldom  requires 
the  concentration  of  her  brain  on  her  tasks  to  the  same  extent  as 
do  fighting,  hunting,  or  many  of  the  other  pursuits  specially 
allocated  to,  or  seized  by,  the  stronger  sex.  One  result  is  that 
the  greater  the  direct  domination  of  the  priests  over  the  women, 
and  the  indirect  influence  over  the  men,  the  greater  the  ignorance 
and  superstition,  and  the  greater  the  cruelty  inflicted  upon  those 
who  object  to  this  domination,  for  any  tendency  to  lessen  the 
powers  of  the  priesthood  is  naturally  put  down  by  them 
immediately  if  possible. 

It  is  often  said  by  some  that  the  African  in  his  native  state  is 
lazy,  while  others  hold  the  reverse,  and  sayings  such  as  44  he  is  as 
lazy  as  a black,”  and  44  they  worked  like  niggers,”  illustrate  both 
views.  Probably  both  are  right,  for  the  native  will  not  work 

198 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

unless  there  is  a great  necessity,  but  when  he  has  put  his 
shoulder  to  the  wheel  he  does  it  with  all  his  might.  But 
there  must  be  a necessity,  either  hunger  or  else  superior  force 
must  be  present  to  make  him  toil ; there  is  no  working  for  the 
love  of  it,  there  is  no  such  thing  as  the  dignity  of  labour,  and 
even  the  phrase,  44  working  like  a nigger  ” has  probably  come  from 
44  working  like  a slave.” 

In  1901  I returned  from  Prahsu,  where  I had  been  in  command 
of  a detachment,  to  Kumasi  to  do  duty  as  an  ordinary  company 
officer  again,  and  naturally  I found  there  less  office  work  and 
more  drill  to  do.  Personally,  I did  not  mind  the  change,  but  my 
servants  did,  for  my  position  was  naturally  reflected  on  them,  and 
they  sadly  asked  me  why  I was  a “big  man”  in  Prahsu,  and 
only  a 44  small  boy  ” in  Kumasi.  44  There  is  no  difference,”  I 
said.  44 1 have  exactly  the  same  rank  whether  I am  in  Kumasi 
or  out  of  it.  What  makes  you  think  I have  come  down  in 
the  world  P ” 44  Oh  no,  Massa,”  they  replied,  44  it  cannot  be. 

At  Prahsu  you  were  an  important  person,  you  were  always 
sitting  down,  but  here  you  are  always  running  about.” 

It  must  not  be  thought  that  the  women  do  all  the  work,  even 
in  these  primitive  communities,  for  if  the  tasks  be  reckoned  up  it 
will  be  seen  that  each  sex  has  an  almost  equal  amount.  The 
men  do  not  toil  as  regularly  or  continuously  as  do  the  women, 
but  while  they  are  at  it  they  undoubtedly  have  to  expend  more 
energy,  for  they  do  all  the  hard  work.  Certainly  they  have 
chosen,  if  not  the  wiser,  at  any  rate  the  more  enjoyable  part, 
for  hunting  animals  gives  more  pleasure  than  searching  for 
firewood,  fighting  enemies  more  excitement  than  nursing  a 
baby. 

However,  the  division  of  labour  must  always  be  on  much  the 
same  lines  in  primitive  societies,  for  the  male’s  superior  strength 
and  health  enable  and  entitle  him  to  choose  his  tasks,  and  although 
female  warriors  have  been  known  they  have  in  the  end  been  con- 
quered by  those  of  the  stronger  sex.  Men  clear  the  ground  for 
the  farms  because  women  are  not  strong  enough,  they  hunt 
because  women  are  not  able  to  do  so,  they  fight  their  enemies  to 

199 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

prevent  them  carrying  off  their  wives  and  children,  and  it  is  at 
this  time,  I suppose,  that  the  division  of  labour  takes  place.  The 
male  is  watching  his  enemy,  and  his  attention  must  not  be  dis- 
tracted lest  he  be  surprised,  so  the  household  duties  naturally  fall 
to  the  female,  and  when  he  does  return  he  is  too  tired  to  collect 
firewood  for  fuel  and  perform  other  simple  duties,  so  she  must  do 
them.  Again,  it  is  in  her  interest  to  save  him  as  much  as  possible 
so  that  he  may  be  fresh  for  the  next  encounter,  for  if  he  is  defeated 
she  also  is  lost.  A man  trained  in  the  same  way  as  a woman 
might  be  very  useful  to  have  about  the  house  in  a highly  civilised 
country,  but  he  would  be  a poor  protector  in  a savage  land. 

Hunting  is  a natural  training  for  war,  and  as  such,  and 
because  it  is  fatiguing  and  takes  the  hunter  away  from  the  home, 
it  falls  to  the  man’s  share.  Nature  prevents  women  competing, 
for  they  would  not  always  be  able  to  fight  or  hunt,  and  so  the 
whole  community  would  suffer  at  some  time  or  other  if  dependent 
on  them,  and  they  would  either  have  to  bear  no  children  so  as  to 
be  free  in  their  movements,  or  else  be  forced  to  take  their  offspring 
with  them,  and  so  be  an  easy  prey  to  a swift  enemy,  and  quite 
useless  as  huntresses.  However,  this  is  hardly  the  place  to  enlarge 
upon  such  a subject,  so  all  that  need  be  said  further  is  that  labour 
seems  to  become  sharply  defined  into  men’s  tasks,  or  those  con- 
cerned with  the  protection  of  the  home,  and  women’s  tasks,  or 
those  performed  actually  in  the  home  itself,  and  as  the  latter  are 
not  dangerous  they  are  looked  down  upon  as  “ women’s  work.”  And 
this  is  true  not  only  of  members  of  primitive  societies  but  even  of 
the  most  advanced  people,  who  ought  to  know  better,  for  neither 
kind  can  be  performed  alone  because  each  is  dependent  on  the  other. 

When  taking  an  oath,  the  person  swearing  holds  in  his  hand 
some  ash,  and  says  that  if  he  has  done  whatever  he  is  accused  of 
having  done,  or  if  he  breaks  his  word,  may  his  body  become  as 
white  as  the  ash.  Or  else  he  takes  a head  of  corn  and  says  that  if 
he  swears  falsely  may  the  next  grain  of  corn  that  he  eats  kill  him. 
However  long  afterwards  he  may  live,  false  swearing  will  be  said 
to  be  the  cause  of  his  death  whenever  that  does  eventually  take 
place.  But  this  will  not  be  sufficient  in  serious  cases,  perhaps, 

200 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 


and  then  the  poisonous  pith  of  a certain  tree  is  pounded  and 
soaked  in  water,  and  this  mixture  is  given  in  a calabash  to  the 
accused,  who  will  drink  water  alone  first,  and  then  the  infusion  of 
sap , as  it  is  called.  After  he  has  drunk  it  he  is  made  to  walk 
around  the  empty  calabash,  this  making  him  vomit  if  he  is  truth- 
ful, but  it  has  no  such  effect  if  not,  and  in  this  case  he  will  die 
that  day.  Sometimes  he  is  allowed  to  have  his  throat  tickled 
with  a feather,  and  even  then  when  he  vomits  he  may  be  con- 
sidered innocent  by  the  Kagoro,  but  amongst  the  Ninzam  and 
Ayu  he  would  be  judged  guilty  and  would  be  punished,  perhaps 
even  killed,  all  the  same. 

In  most  of  these  particular  head-hunting  countries,  a powerful 
man  would  have  a fowl  to  drink  the  sap  as  his  deputy,  and  I was 
informed  that  Awudu,  the  chief  of  Ungual  Kaura,  had  thus 
proved  his  innocence  of  the  murder  of  his  wife  to  the  entire  satis- 
faction of  the  people  of  his  town.  They  apparently  accepted  the 
acquittal,  although  several  of  them  had  seen  him  beat  in  her  head 
with  a wooden  stool.  Unfortunately  for  him,  I had  rather  more 
faith  in  the  accounts  of  witnesses  to  the  murder  than  in  his  pro- 
testations of  the  evidence  of  the  gods,  or  ghosts,  whichever  it  was, 
in  his  favour,  and  so  his  successful  issue  from  the  ordeal  did  not 
avail  him  much.  I was  told  that  if  salt  is  mixed  with  the  sap  the 
infusion  becomes  very  poisonous,  otherwise  not,  so  the  priest 
administering  it  has  a little  under  his  finger-nails.  And  I fancy 
from  questions,  that  he  gives  the  one  whom  he  wishes  to  be 
thought  guilty  the  drink  last  of  all,  but  before  doing  so  he  takes 
care  that  the  salt — enough  for  his  purpose  now  the  contents  are 
greatly  reduced — is  first  mixed  with  the  sap , and  so  the  drink  is 
sufficiently  poisonous  to  produce  the  desired  result.  Before 
making  too  much  of  an  outcry  against  such  customs  it  is  well  to 
remember  that  trial  by  ordeal  has  not  been  abolished  so  very  long 
ago  in  England,  and  in  one  of  the  tests  it  was  quite  impossible 
for  the  accused  to  escape,  for  on  being  thrown  into  water  he  sank 
if  innocent,  and  was  drowned  ; whereas  if  guilty  the  water,  being 
holy,  refused  to  receive  him,  and  as  he  floated  he  was  taken  out 
and  executed. 


201 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

Festivals  are  held  at  any  time  when  beer  is  available,  and 
always  at  death,  puberty,  and  marriage,  though  apparently  not 
at  birth  in  the  ordinary  course  of  events.  Every  now  and  then 
there  is  a three  days 44  drunk,”  and  at  such  times  it  is  best  to  give 
the  towns  a wide  berth,  for  all  the  people  are  intoxicated,  and 
quite  irresponsible  and  uncontrolled.  I am  not  quite  sure  if  these 
orgies  have  anything  to  do  with  their  religion,  but  it  is  quite  pro- 
bable that  they  have,  and  they  may  be  something  like  the  annual 
devil-drivings  and  other  44  customs 11  in  Cape  Coast  Castle.  My 
great-uncle,  writing  there  in  1844,  says  that  during  such  a time  the 
people  were  in  a state  of  intoxication  and  frenzy.  The  fetish-man 
walked  in  front,  sprinkling  water  on  the  people,  some  of  whom 
were  firing  muskets,  others  beating  drums  or  blowing  horns  ; many 
were  covered  with  the  skin  of  beasts,  or  wore  caps  of  the  most 
fantastic  shapes,  and  all  appeared  to  be  anxious  to  make  the 
greatest  possible  noise.  Next  came  a troop  of  females,  dancing 
and  muttering  as  they  went.  Concerning  a 44  custom  ” made  by  the 
natives  on  the  finishing  of  the  harvest  and  the  beginning  of  their 
new  year,  he  says  that  the  first  day  was  dedicated  to  eating,  and 
the  second,  the  great  day,  to  drinking,  and  with  but  few  excep- 
tions all,  old  and  young,  male  and  female,  were  in  a state  of  in- 
toxication ; some  whose  friends  had  died  during  the  past  year  were 
walking  about  the  streets  and  visiting  the  houses  of  their  friends, 
making  bitter  lamentations.  One  old  woman,  after  proclaiming 
the  departed  one’s  kindness  to  her,  turned  herself  round,  and, 
with  outstretched  arms,  addressed  the  spirit,  and  implored  him  to 
come  back  again.  Others  were  dancing,  some  had  painted  their 
faces ; many  carried  branches  of  evergreen  in  their  hands ; many 
wore  a stripe  of  yellow  ribbon  about  their  heads  or  waists,  and 
many  were  reeling  about  in  the  maddest  enthusiasm  at  the  sound 
of  the  drum. 

Of  the  annual  44  custom  ” of  driving  the  evil  spirit  44  Abonsam  ” 
out  of  the  town,  he  says  that  as  soon  as  the  eight  o’clock  gun  had 
been  fired  in  the  fort  the  people  began  firing  muskets  in  their 
houses,  turning  all  their  furniture  out  of  doors,  beating  about  in 

202 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 


every  corner  of  the  rooms  with  sticks,  &c.,  and  screaming  as  loudly 
as  possible,  in  order  to  frighten  the  devil.  He  being  driven  out 
of  the  houses  as  they  imagined  they  sallied  forth  into  the  streets, 
throwing  lighted  torches  about,  shouting,  screaming,  beating 
sticks  together,  rattling  old  pans,  and  making  the  greatest 
possible  noise  in  order  to  drive  him  out  of  the  town  into  the 
sea. 

This  custom  is  preceded  by  four  weeks  of  dead  silence,  during 
which  time  no  gun  is  allowed  to  be  fired,  no  drum  to  be  beaten, 
and  no  palaver  to  be  made  between  man  and  man.  If  during 
these  weeks  two  natives  were  to  disagree  and  make  a noise  in  the 
town,  they  would  be  immediately  taken  before  the  chief  and  fined 
heavily ; or  if  a dog  or  pig,  sheep  or  goat,  were  found  at  large  in 
the  street  it  might  be  killed  or  taken  by  any  one,  the  former 
owner  not  being  allowed  to  demand  any  compensation.  This 
silence  is  designed  to  deceive  Abonsam,  so  that,  being  off  his 
guard,  he  may  be  taken  by  surprise  and  frightened  out  of  the 
place.  Even  if  any  one  died  during  the  period  of  silence,  his 
relatives  were  not  allowed  to  weep  until  the  four  weeks  had  been 
completed. 

All  males  are  circumcised  amongst  the  Kagoro,  but  not  the 
females,  and  this  practice  extends  to  the  other  tailed  head-hunters, 
but  not  to  the  Gannawarri  and  other  natives  of  the  Bauchi  plateau. 
It  is  done  when  the  boy  is  about  eight  or  nine,  apparently,  and  has 
not  been  in  any  sense  copied  from  the  Mohammedans,  so  the 
Kagoro  say,  but  is  an  old  custom  ; if  so,  this  is  a difference  between 
them  and  the  people  who  occupy  the  site  of  their  supposed  origin  ; 
but  the  fact  that  Mohammedans  have  the  practice  will  help  to 
keep  it  up.  It  makes  no  difference  to  marriage  so  far  as  fertility 
is  concerned,  but  women  would  probably  object  to  marry  a man 
who  had  not  been  through  the  rite,  which  is  supposed  to  separate 
the  person  from  sickness,  and  I suppose  the  same  repulsion  exists 
to-day  among  Jewesses.  In  many  tribes  the  females  are  also 
operated  upon,  notably  during  the  Bundu  ceremonies  in  Sierra 
Leone  amongst  the  Mendi,  but  I have  not  met  with  it  in  the 
Nassarawa  district.  Because  of  the  accounts  in  the  Bible  we  are 

203 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

accustomed  to  imagine  its  being  always  done  on  the  eighth  day  of 
a boy’s  life,  but  it  is  probable  that  the  Jews  themselves  shortened 
the  period  to  that  time,  for  the  Hebrew  word  for  44  father-in-law,” 
according  to  Dr.  Driver,  is  derived  from  an  Arabic  root 
signifying  44  to  circumcise,”  and  this  would  indicate  that  in 
primitive  times  the  rite  among  the  Hebrews  was  a preliminary 
not  of  christening  but  of  marriage,  being  performed  therefore 
much  later  in  life. 

The  next  ceremony  is  that  of  initiation,  and  this  again  applies 
only  to  the  males.  When  youths  are  to  be  initiated,  at  about  the 
age  of  ten,  they  are  assembled  early  on  a certain  morning  in  the 
house  of  the  chief  priest,  amidst  drumming  and  blowing  of  horns 
and  other  music,  each  candidate  being  smeared  all  over  with 
grease  after  having  been  shaved  clean.  The  grown  men  present, 
who  have  been  drinking  akann  to  work  them  up  into  the  proper 
religious  frame  of  mind,  then  beat  the  youths  with  switches  until 
they  are  tired,  this  being,  I suppose,  a test  of  endurance.  Then 
the  chief  priest  addresses  the  candidates,  giving  them  certain 
information,  and  telling  them  to  keep  away  from  women  until  the 
ceremonies  have  been  completed  ; and  after  having  been  given 
switches  to  beat  or  drive  away  any  females  who  may  come  near 
them,  they  are  taken  to  the  sacred  grove  by  the  men,  all  of  whom 
indulge  in  akann , but  do  not  give  the  candidates  any — this  being 
perhaps  a test  of  self-control. 

The  boys  then  go  away  to  the  place  provided  for  dancing, 
generally  in  front  of  the  chief’s  compound,  and  dance  all  night, 
and  next  day  there  is  more  dancing,  but  no  more  beating,  and 
again  the  men  show  the  boys  how  delicious  is  the  akann  by  drink- 
ing it  themselves  in  front  of  them.  This  goes  on  for  seven  days, 
and  after  that  the  candidates  return  to  their  own  homes,  but  must 
not  speak  to  a female  for  another  seven  days.  Except  for  the 
grease  and  the  shaving,  there  is  no  special  preparation  of  the 
body,  and  no  particular  dress  is  worn,  nor  any  disguises,  nor  are 
their  names  changed.  It  is  said  that  there  are  no  grades  of  initia- 
tion, but  apparently  no  male  is  considered  to  have  become  a man 
in  all  respects  until  he  has  been  circumcised  and  initiated,  and  has 

204 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 


taken  a head,  the  stages  of  development  to  full  manhood  being 
circumcision,  initiation,  scarification,  success  in  head-hunting, 
marriage,  and  the  shaving  of  the  head,  though  this  order  is 
apparently  not  universally  observed. 

The  only  time  when  females  are  allowed  to  enter  into  religious 
rites  seems  to  be  at  Moroa  funerals,  when  a laughing  woman  leads 
a mare  around ; but  in  some  parts  of  West  Africa  they  play  a 
very  important  part,  sometimes  learning  a special  language  of 
their  own  which  is  unknown  to  the  men.  Mr.  Martin,  writing 
from  Badagri  in  1846,  says  there  were  some  hundreds  of  people, 
chiefly  females,  in  the  town  consecrated  in  an  especial  manner  to 
their  gods.  After  having  spent  some  months  of  confinement  in 
houses  connected  with  the  idol  temples,  during  which  time  they 
were  initiated  into  all  the  mysteries,  and  were  taught  to  speak  a 
language  peculiar  to  themselves,  they  were  regarded  as  sacred 
persons,  and  their  names  were  changed.  Their  heads  were  in  a 
peculiar  manner  sacred,  and  should  any  one  strike  them  on  the 
head  the  offence  was  considered  very  great  and  generally  unpardon- 
able. A case  of  this  kind  came  to  his  notice  where  a man  and  his 
wife  had  been  quarrelling,  the  woman  being  one  of  the  sacred  per- 
sons, and  the  man  had  struck  her  on  the  head.  She  immediately 
fell  down,  and  uttered  their  peculiar  scream,  which  quickly  gathered 
a number  of  her  own  class  around  her,  and  they  repeated  the  cry 
till  it  had  gone  around  the  town  and  set  them  all  in  motion. 
They  continued  all  the  night  dancing  and  screaming,  and  the 
next  evening  the  man  was  taken  and  bound  and  placed  in  the 
midst  of  them,  they  dancing  around  him  in  fiendish  triumph. 
Nothing  would  satisfy  them  but  money,  and  if  that  was  not  forth- 
coming in  such  cases  they  would  destroy  the  man's  house  and 
everything  he  had,  and  ruin  his  family.  Such  was  their  influence 
that  no  one,  not  even  a chief,  dared  to  oppose  them,  for  all  the 
people  stood  in  fear  of  them,  and  these  people  frequently  endea- 
voured to  raise  quarrels  in  the  town  so  that  they  might  possess 
themselves  of  the  property  of  others.  The  females,  though 
married,  were  generally  abandoned  prostitutes,  their  husbands 
not  daring  to  punish  them  lest  they  should  be  involved  in  trouble. 

205 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 


Regular  farms  are  laid  out  by  every  Kagoro  householder,  the 
men  usually  doing  the  digging,  and  the  women  the  sowing  by 
poking  the  toes  of  one  foot  into  the  newly-turned  ground,  and 
thus  making  a hole  for  the  seeds,  and  then  dragging  the  other 
foot  along  the  ground,  and  so  closing  it  up  again.  The  imple- 
ments used  by  the  men  are  an  iron  hoe  with  a very  long  shaft  of 
the  same  material,  and  a hoe-shovel  with  a larger  iron  blade  and 
shaft  of  the  same  shape,  and  a wooden  handle  affixed  to  it,  which 
curves  round  and  ends  opposite  the  middle  of  the  blade.  These 
are  made  by  the  foreign  blacksmith  before  each  harvest,  the  ore 
being  obtained  from  the  Jaba  through  Kajji  country,  and  are 
used  afterwards  as  money  in  payment  of  tribute,  and  as  presents 
at  death  and  other  festivals.  There  is,  apparently,  some  tabu 
connected  with  them  after  the  digging  of  a grave,  for  they  will 
not  be  taken  into  the  house  again  until  after  the  final  feast 
is  over. 

No  domestic  animals  are  employed  in  agricultural  work,  but 
goats1  droppings  from  the  goat  houses  are  collected  and  mixed 
with  ashes  for  use  as  manure.  Land  is  allowed  to  lie  fallow 
(I  believe  three  years),  and  there  is  a certain  amount  of  rotation 
of  crops.  When  the  grain  is  ripening,  strings  may  be  tied  right 
across  the  fields  to  posts  erected  at  each  end,  and  these  are 
vibrated  by  a watchman  on  a raised  platform,  or  in  a tree,  to 
keep  off  birds  and  monkeys ; or  if  no  string  be  available,  he  will 
shout  at  intervals.  There  are  no  scare-crows,  but  charms  con- 
sisting of  leaves  tied  on  sticks,  are  placed  at  the  corners  of  fields 
to  prevent  theft,  and  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  some  authorities 
consider  these  to  be  the  origin  of  the  Tar-baby  stories,  examples 
of  which  are  to  be  found  in  the  immortal  Brer  Rabbit  collection, 
and  in  a book  published  last  year  by  myself  and  my  wife,  Fables 
and  Fairy  Tales , or  Uncle  Remus  in  Hausaland. 

A man  is  free  to  farm  anywhere  on  unoccupied  ground,  but  he 
must  first  obtain  the  consent  of  the  ghosts,  and  the  chief  priest  may 
graciously  consent  to  cut  the  first  sod  if  the  beer  be  sufficiently 
plentiful  and  good.  The  man  establishes  his  right  to  the  ground 
by  tilling  it,  and  it  will  remain  his  until  he  allows  it  to  go  out  of 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

cultivation.  A fowl  is  killed  when  the  corn  is  ripening,  a hole  is 
dug  in  the  centre  of  the  farm,  and  the  blood  of  the  fowl  and  the 
leaves  of  certain  trees  are  put  into  it,  but  the  flesh  is  eaten  when 
the  corn  is  ready  for  harvesting.  Fires  are  then  lighted  in  the 
houses,  and  the  smoke  having  killed  off  the  insects,  the  corn  is 
stored  in  the  granary.  These  insects  are  very  destructive,  and  are 
called  by  the  Hausawa  Kukichi , a condensed  form  of  Ku  ki  chi , 
mu , mua  chi  (“You  have  refused  to  eat,  we,  we  shall  eat”),  show- 
ing how  absurd  it  is  to  store  up  food  when  you  can  eat  it  all  at 
once ! “ Eat,  drink  and  be  merry  ” appeals  strongly  to  the 

native  comprehension. 

After  the  corn  has  been  stored  in  the  granary,  another  fowl  is 
killed,  and  the  blood  is  smeared  on  the  outside,  the  flesh  being 
eaten  by  the  men — and  the  old  women  if  they  are  quick  enough. 
The  blood  has  the  same  effect  as  the  beer,  it  appeases  the  appetites 
of  the  ghosts,  who  will  then  allow  the  people  to  live  in  peace — 
until,  of  course,  they  are  thirsty  again.  At  least,  that  is  the 
explanation  which  the  Kagoro  give,  but  it  is  quite  possible  that  it 
is  the  survival  of  a form  of  human  sacrifice,  for  we  know  that  in 
some  parts  of  the  world  offerings  were  made  to  the  Earth-goddess, 
the  flesh  of  the  person  selected  being  torn  from  his  bones,  the 
priest  burying  half  of  it  in  a hole  in  the  earth  behind  his  back, 
while  each  householder  carried  off  a piece  of  flesh  to  bury  in  his 
own  field  ; and  in  others  a head  had  to  be  shown  to  the  fields  to 
make  them  bring  forth  a good  harvest.  The  first- mentioned 
people  now  sacrifice  cattle  instead  of  human  beings,  and  those  of 
another  tribe  are  known  to  have  substituted  fowls,  and  so  the 
process  I have  suggested  in  an  earlier  chapter  is  not  impossible  of 
fulfilment.  Still,  I do  not  wish  to  accuse  my  people  of  anything 
that  I cannot  prove,  for  after  all  the  poor  pagans  have  enough  to 
answer  for  as  it  is,  according  to  our  rules  of  conduct. 

The  Kagoro  and  other  head-hunters  have  no  conjuring  tricks 
that  I could  hear  of,  but  I have  seen  snake-charming  amongst  the 
Hausawa;  a woman  in  Lokoja  wdio  pretended  to  swallow  the 
reptile  being  the  best  whom  I can  remember.  A conjurer  came  to 
Jemaan  Daroro  and  performed  two  simple  tricks,  assisted  by  a 

207 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

youth,  the  two  singing  all  the  time  and  ringing  bells  to  distract 
the  attention.  One  trick  consisted  in  making  water  drip  out  of 
a gourd,  or  remain  in  it,  at  word  of  command,  this  being  done  by 
having  a gourd  with  a very  narrow  neck,  and  a hole  in  the  bottom 
which  could  be  stopped  with  the  thumb,  and  by  lifting  the 
thumb  or  pressing  it  down  when  the  gourd  was  reversed,  the 
water  naturally  flowed  or  stopped.  The  only  other  trick  in  their 
repertoire  consisted  in  the  man’s  pretending  to  draw  a needle  and 
cotton  through  the  youth,  who  had  donned  a magic  belt  for  the 
occasion.  The  belt  I found  on  inspection  had  several  loose 
strands  of  thread  concealed  in  it,  and  the  operator  really  pulled 
one  end  out  in  front  when  pretending  to  stick  the  thread  through 
the  youth’s  stomach,  and  pulled  out  another  behind  as  if  it  had 
come  right  through  the  body,  and  when  he  drew  this  to  and  fro, 
it  looked  as  if  it  were  right  through,  but  it  really  ran  inside  the 
belt  for  half  its  circumference.  He  took  about  an  hour  to  do 
these  two  tricks,  and  I thought  the  whole  performance  painfully 
slow,  but  I daresay  the  bell-ringing  and  singing  pleased  most 
of  his  audience,  for  a noise  is  always  welcome. 

On  another  occasion,  a man  appeared  from  Zaria  way  with  a 
magic  hoe-shovel  with  a curved  handle  as  described  before,  though 
about  ten  times  the  ordinary  size,  and  with  a hollow  blade,  this 
hoe-shovel  having  the  magic  power  of  running  away  with  men,  and 
to  my  surprise  many  Europeans  were  deceived  by  it.  After  a couple 
of  times  I thought  I saw  the  secret,  and  offered  to  pick  half-a- 
dozen  soldiers  and  keep  the  hoe  still,  but  the  conjurer  would  not 
allow  it,  and  so  I am  certain  this  explanation  is  correct.  The 
hoe-shovel  is  placed  on  the  ground,  handle  upwards,  and  some  six 
or  seven  men  are  told  off  to  hold  it,  there  being  always  two  or 
three  of  the  conjurer’s  own  followers  among  the  number.  The 
conjurer  then  stands  in  front  and  begins  saying  magic  words, 
gradually  working  himself  and  his  audience  into  a state  of  excite- 
ment, and  shouting  louder  and  louder,  and  after  a little  time  the 
hoe-shovel  begins  to  move,  soon  jumping  up  in  the  air,  the  holders 
falling  over  one  another  in  their  efforts  to  hold  it.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  the  confederates  start  the  motion,  and  as  soon  as  that 

208 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

is  done  the  excitement  of  the  others,  increased  by  the  voice  of  the 
conjurer,  does  the  rest.  It  is,  in  fact,  on  the  same  principle  as 
table-turning,  only  much  more  crude.  Poor  man ! I fear  my 
challenge  must  have  ruined  his  trade  in  Jemaan  Daroro,  for  he 
left  next  day,  and  I was  greatly  disappointed  as  I wanted  to  see 
him  do  the  trick  again.  I took  some  photographs  at  the  time, 
but  they  were  failures,  as  were  about  three-quarters  of  the  others, 
films  being  undependable  in  that  climate. 

Formerly,  there  were  but  few  salutations,  sons  and  wives 
ignoring  or  abusing  their  parents  and  husbands  as  the  fancy 
took  them,  unless  in  fear  of  physical  punishment ; and  even  now 
there  is  no  bowing,  though  some  have  learned  the  prostration  on 
the  ground  from  the  people  of  Kaffanchan  who  often  come  to 
Jemaan  Daroro.  Others,  again,  try  to  salute  a European  like  a 
soldier,  the  action  generally  looking  as  if  they  were  brushing  away 
perspiration  from  their  noble  brows,  or  wiping  their  noses,  though 
this  is  much  preferable  to  the  customs  of  some  other  tribes. 
“ Every  man  is  a chief  in  his  own  house,  and  there  is  no  need  to 
recognise  any  one  else,”  so  the  Kagoro  say,  and  they  have  a repu- 
tation for  being  surly  and  boorish,  but  I think  that  a good  deal  of 
it  is  due  to  fear,  for  I have  always  found  the  women  and  children, 
at  any  rate,  quite  polite,  and  when  Kaka,  the  Agwam  of  Fada 
Kagoro,  went  with  me  to  Keffi  (and  every  one  thought  he  had 
been  killed,  as  he  had  been  away  for  seven  days),  he  was  met  on 
his  return  by  all  the  people  of  his  town  with  drumming,  and 
blowing,  and  other  demonstrations  of  welcome.  Of  course,  there 
were  certain  men  who  regarded  me  with  no  favourable  eye,  and 
it  could  hardly  be  wondered  at,  considering  that  some  of  their 
relatives  had  lost  their  lives  when  fighting  against  us ; and  under 
similar  circumstances  (but  happening  in  the  contrary  way),  I 
should  not  have  felt  particularly  well  disposed  towards  them. 

But  if  the  head-hunters  are  chary  with  polite  greetings,  the 
same  cannot  be  said  of  the  Hausawa.  I believe  amongst  the 
Masai  spitting  at  each  other  is  the  rule,  the  intensity  of  the 
friendship  being  measured  by  the  amount  of  spittle  bestowed  on 
the  other’s  naked  body.  Fortunately  the  Hausawa  do  not  indulge 

209  o 


CUSTOMS  AND  SUPERSTITIONS 

in  this  luxury,  they  are  more  concerned  with  words  than  with 
deeds,  and  they  will  squat  opposite  one  another,  touch  each 
other’s  hands  and  their  own  breasts  three  times,  and  then  go 
through  whole  strings  of  salutations,  even  should  they  meet  each 
other  several  times  a day,  commencing  in  a loud  voice,  and 


gradually  dropping  off  into  an 
or  two  like  this : — 

Hail 

How  are  you  to-day  ? 
Thanks  be  to  God 
Hail 

Are  you  tired  ? 

Hail 

What  is  the  news  ? 

Hail 

Hail 

o 

Um 

O 

• 

Um 

O 


almost  undistinguishable  grunt 

Hail  to  you  too 
Quite  well,  thank  you 
Praise  be  to  God 
Hail 
I am  not 
Hail 

There  is  none  but  what  is  good 
Um 
Um 
O 

Um 

Hail 

O 

Um 

O 


210 


CHAPTER  XVI 


A MUTINY 

THE  little  experience  in  the  Ninzam  and  Ayu  districts  gave 
weight  to  my  next  application  for  a patrol,  and  about  a 
fortnight  later  I had  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  one 
had  been  sanctioned  at  last.  On  the  18th  April,  therefore,  our 
noble  force,  consisting  of  the  Waff  subaltern  and  his  detachment 
of  25  men,  about  30  carriers,  and  myself,  left  Jemaan  Daroro,  and 
camped  at  Akwa,  the  Keffi  contingent  of  some  80  men  and  as 
many  carriers  under  the  O.C.  (as  the  officer  commanding  is 
called)  intending  to  meet  us  farther  to  the  south-east  in  Mada 
country  on  the  following  day.  A doctor  was  also  coming  from 
Keffi,  and  as  there  was  now  heavy  rain  each  day  his  services 
would  probably  be  more  in  request  for  cases  of  illness  than  for 
those  of  wounding.  We  arrived  at  Akwa,  where  I had  had 
temporary  grass  shelters  erected,  about  mid-day,  and  all  of  us 
were  very  much  pleased  that  the  patrol  had  really  begun  at  last, 
but  the  fates  had  willed  that  we  were  to  be  disappointed  after  all, 
for  about  tea-time  a runner  arrived  with  the  news  that  there  had 
been  a mutiny  of  a Waff  detachment  at  Abuja,  and  that  the  Keffi 
men  had  had  to  go  there ; the  patrol  had  therefore  been  cancelled, 
and  we  were  to  return  to  Jemaa  at  once ! 

Our  personal  feelings  of  disgust  can  be  better  imagined  than 
described,  and,  politically,  the  news  was  most  unfortunate,  for  the 
tribes  whom  I had  threatened  with  punishment  would  now  think 
that  the  whole  thing  had  been  merely  a “ bluff 1)1  to  frighten  them, 
and  would  be  all  the  harder  to  control  afterwards.  Various 
rumours,  too,  began  to  come  through  from  Abuja,  some  to  the 
effect  that  the  soldiers  had  killed  all  their  officers,  others  that 
they  had  killed  one  and  taken  the  others  prisoner — and  there 
were  other  variations.  Luckily  the  outbreak  proved  to  be  not  so 

211 


A MUTINY 


serious  a one  as  was  at  first  feared,  and  it  was  quelled  very 
quickly  by  a mere  show  of  force  from  Zungeru. 

Mutinies  are  not  always  so  easily  settled  though,  and  when 
they  do  happen  they  are  exceedingly  unpleasant  and  much  more 
dangerous  than  ordinary  fights,  and,  also,  though  some  one  always 
has  to  be  blamed  in  these  matters,  no  one  can  obtain  any 
credit.  I was  in  one  in  1901  in  Kumasi,  while  attached  to  the 
West  African  Regiment,  and  I do  not  want  a similar  experience. 
I had  been  invalided  to  England  after  having  been  wounded  in 
South  Africa,  and  though,  perhaps,  I could  not  have  walked 
well  enough  for  work  on  the  Veldt,  I could  travel  quite  well  in 
a hammock,  and  so  I had  been  fortunate  enough  to  be  accepted 
as  a Special  Service  Officer  in  Ashanti.  The  chance  came  at  a 
lucky  moment  too,  for  my  own  (the  1st  Australian)  Regiment 
was  due  to  leave  South  Africa  for  home,  and  had  I not  come  to 
Ashanti  my  active  service  would  have  been  over. 

Probably  most  of  my  readers  will  remember  that  in  1900  the 
Ashanti  besieged  the  Governor  of  the  Gold  Coast  and  his  wife  in 
Kumasi,  and  that,  although  they  had  managed  to  escape,  it  was 
only  on  the  arrival  of  the  expedition  under  Sir  James  Willcocks 
that  the  garrison  was  relieved.  And  as  this  was  not  our  first  war 
with  the  Ashanti,  though  it  was  rather  remarkable  as  being  the 
first  occasion  on  which  black  troops  were  employed  without  a 
stiffening  of  whites — mainly  owing  to  the  fact  that  all  the  available 
regiments  were  in  South  Africa  or  China — it  may  be  as  well  to  go 
back  a little  to  consider  what  led  to  the  trouble  with  the  natives 
and  what  was  the  cause  of  the  mutiny  of  our  own  troops  later. 

The  Ashanti  have  always  been  a cruel  and  warlike  race,  noted 
as  much  for  their  bravery  as  for  their  numerous  and  bloody 
sacrifices,  and  our  troops  have  not  been  invariably  victorious  in 
their  conflicts  with  them ; in  fact,  in  the  early  days  the  natives 
usually  had  the  best  of  the  deal.  Sacrifices  were  very  frequent, 
hundreds  of  captives  being  butchered  in  a single  day,  perhaps, 
and  the  Ashanti  became  the  terror  of  the  surrounding  district. 
But  as  our  position  on  the  Gold  Coast  improved,  we  were  able  by 
degrees  to  drive  them  farther  and  farther  inland,  and  to  confine 
them  within  their  own  boundaries,  and  so  to  set  free  the  conquered 


A MUTINY 

tribes  who  had  begun  to  look  to  Englishmen  to  save  them  from 
annihilation. 

It  would  appear  that  the  Ashanti  first  came  into  contact  with 
Europeans  more  or  less  through  accident,  or,  at  any  rate,  on 
account  of  a side-issue.  Early  last  century  three  rival  chiefs  of 
Asin,  the  country  between  the  Coast  and  Ashanti,  quarrelled 
because  of  a theft  from  a grave  (a  considerable  amount  of  treasure 
being  buried  with  the  corpses  of  rich  men  in  those  days)  which 
had  been  committed  by  a follower  of  one  of  them.  The  case  was 
heard  by  the  chief  of  Ashanti,  Osai  Tutu  Kwamina,  and  though 
Amu,  the  chief  of  the  parties  wronged,  was  willing  to  abide  by 
the  decision,  his  rivals,  Chebu  and  Apute,  were  not,  and  having 
failed  in  law  they  proceeded  to  the  test  of  battle.  After  several 
vain  attempts  on  the  part  of  Osai  to  make  peace,  his  messengers 
were  massacred,  Chebu  and  Apute  and  the  actual  murderers 
taking  refuge  in  Fanti  country.  Osai  then  sent  a messenger  to 
the  Fanti  chief  with  the  request  that  he  should  be  allowed  to  send 
a force  through  his  country  to  capture  the  culprits,  but  the  Fanti 
people  not  only  refused  his  just  request,  but  foolishly  espoused 
the  cause  of  the  refugees,  with  the  result  that  they  themselves 
were  attacked  and  defeated.  Within  a short  time  the  Ashanti 
had  utterly  subdued  them,  and  being  now  full  of  the  spirit  of 
conquest,  they  began  advancing  towards  the  Coast. 

The  fugitive  chiefs,  Chebu  and  Apute,  then  took  refuge  in 
Annamabu,  where  a British  fort  had  been  built,  but  the  Governor 
of  Cape  Coast  Castle  at  the  time  (1806),  being  not  altogether 
inclined  to  protect  them,  proposed  making  overtures  to  the 
Ashanti,  who  shortly  afterwards  seized  the  Dutch  fort  of  Koro- 
mantin.  The  Annamabu  people  would  not  hear  of  this,  but  Mr. 
White,  the  officer  then  in  charge  of  the  fort,  managed  to  get  a 
message  through  to  the  Ashanti  commander  there,  offering  to 
negotiate  between  him  and  the  Annamabu  chief.  The  offer  was, 
however,  rejected,  and  the  Ashanti  attacked  the  town,  and 
though,  it  is  said,  they  had  had  originally  no  intention  of 
fighting  with  the  white  men,  they  were  naturally  soon  involved 
with  them  when  they  came  close  to  the  fort,  and  a great  struggle 
took  place.  So  well  did  the  enemy  fight  that  the  Europeans  at 

213 


A MUTINY 

length  sent  a flag  of  truce  to  them,  and  soon  afterwards  made 
peace  by  arresting  and  handing  over  the  murderers,  or  rather  one 
of  them,  for  the  other  had  managed  to  escape. 

The  Ashanti,  after  having  concluded  a treaty  of  friendship 
with  the  British,  retired  to  their  own  country,  and  later  on  the 
Fanti,  now  freed  from  the  fear  of  their  conquerors,  began  to  play 
up  again  and  pay  back  old  scores.  Partly  on  account  of  tribal 
hatred,  partly  for  the  sake  of  plunder,  they  attacked  Elmina, 
Accra,  and  other  States,  and  since  the  Ashanti  at  that  time 
trad  sd  with  Accra,  they  determined  to  interfere,  the  result  being 
that  the  Fanti  were  taught  another  severe  lesson.  Unfortunately 
the  British  policy  was  never  very  definite  nor  consistent,  and, 
instead  of  remaining  neutral,  the  officers  then  in  charge  were 
inclined  to  encourage  the  Fanti,  with  the  ultimate  result  that 
in  1816  they  were  themselves  blockaded  in  Cape  Coast  Castle, 
and  had  to  pay  the  Ashanti  a considerable  sum  to  raise  the  siege. 
In  the  following  year  Bowditch  and  others  concluded  a treaty 
with  the  Ashanti  chief  in  Kumasi,  and  a Resident  was  installed 
there. 

Friendly  relations  existed  for  some  years,  but  the  newly- 
appointed  Governor  of  the  West  African  Settlements,  Sir  Charles 
McCarthy,  and  the  new  chief  of  Ashanti  came  to  loggerheads  in 
1823  over  the  murder  of  a native  sergeant  of  the  Royal  African 
Corps — though  it  is  probable  that  the  Fanti  were  the  real 
culprits — and  there  was  some  fighting  with  varying  success  on 
each  side.  Early  in  the  following  year  Sir  Charles  himself  took 
the  field,  and  through  greatly  under-estimating  the  courage  and 
numbers  of  the  enemy,  he  was  utterly  defeated  at  Essamako,  nine 
of  the  twelve  Europeans  with  the  little  force  being  killed,  and 
the  other  three  seriously  wounded,  Sir  Charles’s  skull  being  after- 
wards decorated  with  gold  and  used  as  a drinking-cup,  so  it 
is  said. 

In  1826,  however,  the  defeat  was  avenged,  and  there  was  no 
serious  fighting  until  Lord  Wolseley’s  expedition  in  1873-74, 
which  destroyed  Kumasi.  There  were  other  expeditions  in  1863 
and  1896,  but  no  actual  hostilities  took  place  on  these  occasions, 
and  the  next  and  last  conflict  was  in  1900. 

214 


Ashanti  Men 

One  of  the  peace  palavers  after  the  Expedition  of  1900.  Note  the  gorgeous  umbrellas 
and  the  typical  chairs  and  stools. 


Ashanti  Houses 

My  party  entering  Esumeja.  The  Ashanti  house  consists  of  four  oblong  buildings 
placed  in  the  shape  of  a cross.  They  differ  very  much  from  the  buildings  of  the 
Hausa,  Yoruba,  and  the  Head-hunter.  See  p.  142. 


A MUTINY 


The  payment  of  an  indemnity  had  been  imposed  as  one  of  the 
articles  of  the  treaty  of  peace  in  1874,  but  no  very  special  anxiety 
to  comply  with  the  conditions  had  been  noted  on  the  part  of  the 
chiefs,  and  the  Government  had  been  unable  to  enforce  them. 
Demands  had  also  been  made  by  the  Governor  for  the  delivery  of 
the  Golden  Stool  which,  much  more  than  the  actual  person  of  the 
chief,  represented  the  sovereignty — in  much  the  same  sense  as  we 
now  speak  of  the  Crown  instead  of  the  King — and  these  also  had 
been  ignored.  The  Governor  visited  Kumasi  in  March  1900  and 
made  fresh  demands,  and,  knowing  that  we  were  at  war  with  the 
Boers,  and  being  told  by  their  fetish-men  that  the  time  was  ripe 
to  rid  themselves  of  our  control,  and  that  they  could  easily  capture 
the  Governor  and  hold  him  as  a hostage  for  the  restoration  of 
Prempeh  (deposed  from  the  Stool  of  Kumasi  in  1896),  the  Ashanti 
revolted  and  besieged  the  fort  on  the  25th  of  April.  The  Governor 
and  Lady  Hodgson,  together  with  most  of  the  garrison,  escaped  on 
the  22nd  June,  but  the  remainder  were  not  relieved  until  the  15th 
of  J uly  following,  after  a gallant  defence. 

The  Ashanti  fought  most  valiantly,  and  the  casualties  on  both 
sides  were  very  heavy,  but  the  excellent  plan  of  campaign  thought 
out  by  Sir  James  Willcocks,  and  the  discipline  of  the  British 
column,  told  at  last,  and  in  the  end  the  Ashanti  were  utterly 
defeated. 

However,  to  return  to  the  mutiny.  The  actual  fighting  ended 
in  the  November  of  1900,  and  the  troops  brought  from  the  other 
colonies  (Northern  and  Southern  Nigeria,  Lagos,  Sierra  Leone, 
and  even  from  the  East  Coast  of  Africa)  began  to  look  forward  to 
being  sent  back  again,  and  to  dream  of  their  homes  and  their 
dusky  66  mammies.'”  Unfortunately,  it  was  found  impossible  to 
let  them  return  as  quickly  as  had  been  originally  expected,  for 
it  Avas  not  considered  safe  to  leave  Ashanti  without  a large 
garrison  so  soon  after  the  war,  and  the  local  troops  were  quite 
unable  to  furnish  the  required  numbers.  The  Nigerian  Waffs 
were  ordered  back  first,  since  fighting  was  then  going  on  in  that 
country,  but  as  all  was  peaceful  in  Sierra  Leone,  there  seemed 
to  be  no  hurry  in  regard  to  the  troops  from  that  part  of  the 
Continent. 


215 


A MUTINY 


One  of  the  best  bodies  of  men  in  the  relief  column,  as  far 
as  the  fighting  was  concerned,  was  the  West  African  Regiment, 
which,  although  but  very  recently  entered  in  the  Army  List,  was 
quite  a veteran  corps.  It  had  been  raised  in  Freetown,  in  1898, 
by  Colonel  Woodgate  (killed  at  Spion  Kop)  to  assist  in  quelling 
the  Hut-Tax  Rebellion  in  the  interior  of  Sierra  Leone,  and  within 
a week  or  two  of  its  formation  it  began  sending  up  drafts  to  the 
front.  That  outbreak  was  not  settled  until  the  following  year, 
and  a few  months  afterwards,  Colonel  Burroughs  brought  the 
regiment  to  Ashanti.  The  men  thus  had  but  little  of  the 
“ barrack-square”  (which  is  most  essential  to  good  discipline, 
however  much  it  may  tend  to  kill  individuality),  and  some  of 
the  officers  were  new  to  them,  so  that  they  were  not,  perhaps, 
as  much  in  hand  as  would  have  been  the  case  had  they  had  the 
chance  to  learn  the  drudgery  properly  before  going  on  active 
service.  Again,  a number  of  tribes  were  represented  in  the  ranks 
— Mendi,  Timmini,  Susu,  Lokko,  Limba,  Fulah,  &c.,  and  there 
were  even  a few  men  from  Senegal  and  Dahomey,  so  there  was  no 
common  bond  between  them  such  as  there  would  have  been  had 
they  all  been  of  the  same  nation — a bond  which  is  now  supplied 
by  their  esprit  de  corps.  While  the  fighting  lasted  they  were 
splendid ; there  was  no  doubt  about  their  bravery — nor  about  that 
of  their  colonel — but  when  the  excitement  had  subsided,  they 
wanted  to  get  back  to  Freetown,  which  was  very  “sweet”  to 
them,  although  perhaps  distasteful  to  many  of  their  European 
officers. 

They  had  been  told,  when  proceeding  to  Ashanti  in  the 
previous  May,  that  they  would  probably  be  back  in  about  three 
months'’  time,  and  after  they  had  been  kept  nine  months,  and  still 
saw  but  little  chance  of  returning,  they  began  to  grow  restive — 
it  is  a fatal  error  to  mislead  a native,  however  blameless  one’s 
intention  may  be.  There  were  other  causes  too  ; the  pay  accounts 
had  somehow  become  muddled,  and  arrears  were  not  forthcoming : 
the  uniforms  were  ragged,  the  equipment  (said  to  have  been 
second-hand  to  start  with)  was  mostly  string  and  wire  ; and  worst 
of  all,  the  bayonets  could  not  be  fixed  on  to  the  carbines  ! 

The  blame  for  this  state  of  affairs  has  been  fastened  on  to 

21 6 


A MUTINY 


different  people  at  different  times ; but  it  seems  to  me  that  no 
one  individual  was  particularly  responsible,  for  no  one  really  had 
any  opportunity  to  improve  matters.  The  real  cause  of  the  whole 
mutiny  was  probably  the  men’s  knowledge  that  they  had  been 
deceived — though  that  point  would  seem  much  less  important  than 
the  other  reasons  to  a European — and  nothing  one  could  say 
tended  to  make  them  think  otherwise.  We  were  white  men,  we 
knew  everything,  we  had  used  them  to  fight  for  us  against  the 
Ashanti  as  long  as  we  wanted  them,  we  had  not  paid  them  what 
we  had  promised  (a  deduction — quite  a legitimate  one  too,  though 
they  refused  to  see  it — had  been  made  from  their  66  chop-money  ” 
because  rations  had  been  supplied  in  kind),  we  had  not  let  them 
return  when  we  said  we  would,  and  we  were  probably  going  to 
keep  them  there  for  ever,  until  they  died.  It  was  of  no  use  our 
saying  anything  to  the  contrary,  if  it  was  not  true  let  us  send 
them  back.  That  was  their  argument,  and  it  seemed  rather  hope- 
less to  combat  it,  since  we  could  not  let  them  go. 

The  new  Governor  arrived  in  March  1901  for  the  purpose  of 
settling  the  payment  of  the  Ashanti  indemnity  and  other  matters, 
and,  when  inspecting  the  West  African  Regiment,  he  told  the 
men  that  two  companies  would  return  to  Sierra  Leone  at  once,  but 
that  the  others  would  not  follow  until  they  could  be  relieved. 
This  was  absolutely  the  last  straw,  and  on  the  morning  of  the 
19th,  when  the  Governor  was  leaving  Kumasi,  hardly  enough  men 
could  be  found  in  the  camp  of  the  Wars  (as  they  were  called,  from 
West  African  Regiment)  to  form  a guard  of  honour. 

The  Governor,  of  course,  postponed  his  departure,  and  five  of 
us  were  sent  post  haste  to  try  to  get  the  deserters  back,  only  two 
of  the  party  belonged  to  the  regiment,  the  other  three,  including 
myself,  being  Special  Service  Officers.  We  travelled  all  night,  and 
nearly  caught  them  up  at  Kwissa,  but  they  departed  at  once  and 
got  ahead  again.  However,  two  more  companies  of  the  regiment 
were  stationed  there,  and  we  paraded  them  to  warn  them  not  to 
follow  the  bad  example  of  the  others,  but  they  immediately 
shouted  out  that  the  deserters  were  their  brothers,  and  started 
marching  off  to  join  them.  We  tried  to  stop  some  of  them,  but 
we  were  fired  at  (bullets  have  an  angry  “ping-buzz”  at  such 

217 


A MUTINY 


close  quarters),  and,  as  it  was  absolutely  impossible  for  five  men 
to  do  anything  against  over  200,  we  desisted.  Just  afterwards  a 
message  from  the  Governor — which  had  unfortunately  been  delayed 
in  transmission — was  handed  to  us,  ordering  us  to  accompany  the 
deserters,  and  not  to  use  threats  nor  force,  so  we  therefore  started 
off  again,  and  came  up  with  the  whole  four  companies  at  Fesu. 
I remember,  when  approaching  a turning  in  the  road,  hearing  a 
tremendous  cracking  ahead,  and  I thought  that  we  were  being 
fired  at  again.  But  on  proceeding  farther  I found  that  the  sounds 
were  made  by  burning  bamboos,  and  I admit  that  I was  greatly 
relieved. 

The  men,  we  heard  from  our  orderlies,  had  elected  as 
" colonel 11  Private  Morlai  Mandingo,  a very  brave  man  who  had 
been  wounded  three  times,  if  I remember  rightly.  And  he,  rising 
to  the  dignity  of  his  rank,  had  thrown  away  his  carbine,  and  was 
using  his  side-arm — a sword-bayonet — as  an  officer’s  sword,  while 
instead  of  a red  fez  he  wore  a cloth  cap.  Each  company  had  its 
captain  and  “ one-star  ” captains  (lieutenants,  who  wore  only  one 
then),  and  there  were  orderly  buglers  and  others  detailed  for 
duty  daily. 

And  so  much  authority  did  these  “ officers  ” possess  that  on 
one  occasion  a couple  of  privates  were  flogged  for  having  dirty 
rifles  on  parade,  and  it  was  rather  amusing  to  find  that  such  a 
fault  was  punished  with  so  much  greater  severity  by  them  than 
would  have  been  the  case  had  one  of  us  tried  the  men.  There  was 
thus  a certain  amount  of  discipline  preserved,  but  this  really 
showed  that  the  state  of  things  was  very  serious  indeed,  for  it 
became  apparent  how  much  in  earnest  the  men  were,  though  when 
a question  was  asked  afterwards  in  Parliament,  this  served  as  an 
excuse  to  treat  the  whole  affair  with  ridicule.  The  men  had  100 
rounds  of  ammunition  each,  and  they  had  been  given  a week’s 
rations  of  rice  a day  or  two  before  they  deserted,  but  the  latter 
was  beginning  to  run  out,  and  we  saw  trouble  ahead,  the  Native, 
like  Nature,  abhorring  a vacuum.  Luckily,  however,  another 
message  from  the  Governor  arrived,  ordering  us  to  pay  out  ration- 
money  at  the  usual  rate  of  3d.  per  day,  and  this  move  prevented  a 
general  raiding  of  the  towns  passed  through. 

218 


A MUTINY 


Four  of  us  were  fairly  popular  with  the  men,  but  the  other 
officer  had  had  to  stay  behind  in  consequence  of  a notice  posted 
upon  the  road  that  the  men  would  44 dismiss  him  ourself’’  if  he 
came  any  farther  (it  was  bad  luck  on  him,  for  he  really  liked 
them),  and  if  we  had  been  able  to  think  things  over  calmly,  we 
should  have  been  compelled  to  smile,  for  we  were  actually  paying 
the  men  to  defy  our  authority,  so  long  as  they  did  it  quietly.  I 
had  44  doctored  ” a few  of  the  men  while  in  command  of  a detach- 
ment at  Prahsu,  and  was  called  in  by  the  mutineers  to  do  the  same 
for  some  of  them,  and  our  own  orderlies  were  on  quite  good  terms 
with  their  comrades  although  they  gave  us  a hint  when  to  expect 
the  next  move.  But  in  spite  of  the  half-friendly  attitude  of  the 
main  body  of  the  men,  the  leaders  would  have  nothing  to  do  with 
us,  and  remembering  the  experience  at  Kwissa,  we  had  to  make  up 
our  minds  to  44  wait  and  see,”  though  it  was  not  good  for  one’s 
nerves. 

So  it  went  on,  the  mutineers  suddenly  marching  off,  and  we 
hurriedly  collecting  what  carriers  they  had  not  taken  from  us,  and 
following  as  fast  as  we  could,  until  after  over  a week  of  it  we  reached 
Cape  Coast  Castle,  where  the  men,  ahead  as  usual, were  met  on  arrival 
by  the  late  Captain  Watson,  who  guided  them  to  quarters  in 
the  town.  The  men,  to  his  surprise,  followed  him  without  question, 
but  they  had  no  quarrel  with  him,  of  course,  it  being  confined  to 
the  Governor,  and  the  senior  officers  of  their  own  regiment,  who 
had,  as  they  thought,  wilfully  deceived  them.  Colonel  Burroughs 
with  the  rest  of  the  regiment  (part  of  the  two  companies  under 
orders  to  leave  for  Sierra  Leone  not  having  deserted)  soon  after- 
wards arrived,  and  with  the  Governor  and  us  went  to  the  men  to 
try  to  persuade  them  to  give  up  their  arms.  But  this  they,  of 
course,  refused  to  do,  and  we  were  given  a fairly  plain  hint  to 
quit. 

The  next  day  the  Governor  had  a parley  with  them  outside 
the  fort,  they  having  been  told  to  come  down  and  be  prepared  to 
go  on  board  a steamer  which  had  come  in  the  day  before,  but  on 
hearing  that  they  would  have  to  give  up  their  arms  first  they 
refused  to  do  so.  44  Very  well,”  said  we,  44  we  shall  go  without 
you,”  and  we  made  a pretence  of  going  off,  and  in  fact  Colonel 

219 


A MUTINY 

Burroughs  and  some  others  did  get  off  to  the  ship.  This,  how- 
ever, brought  more  than  we  bargained  for,  for  the  mutineers 
rushed  the  surf-boats  and  took  the  paddles,  marching  back  with 
them  in  triumph  to  their  quarters,  and  leaving  a guard  to  see 
that  we  did  not  go  away.  This  step  also  prevented  the  colonel 
from  returning,  for  no  ordinary  ship’s  boat  can  live  in  the  Coast 
surf,  and  in  his  absence  Lieut.-Colonel  Henstock  became  the 
senior  officer,  and  he  proved  to  be  the  right  man  in  the  right 
place. 

It  was  useless  now  to  deny  the  seriousness  of  the  position,  and 
had  his  ruse  not  been  successful,  we  might  have  had  trouble  with 
the  Cape  Coast  natives  also,  for  directly  these  half-civilised  people 
saw  that  we  were  in  difficulties  they  began  to  revile  us,  although 
they  had  fattened  on  us  for  so  long.  But  even  then  some  of  the 
mutineers  showed  up  well,  for  several  of  these  people  were 
unpleasantly  surprised  at  receiving  punishment  instead  of 
applause  from  the  soldiers  for  abusing  their  officers.  How- 
ever, there  was  no  doubt  that  something  decisive  had  to  be 
done,  and  immediately,  and  this  is  what  happened.  The 
mutineers  were  invited  to  come  next  morning  for  a further 
parley,  and  were  told  that  the  captain  of  the  ship  had  refused 
to  take  them  armed,  but  those  who  gave  up  their  carbines 
would  be  given  £5  each  out  of  their  arrears  of  pay  at  once, 
and  would  go  on  board  the  steamer.  At  the  same  time  we 
did  not  neglect  to  make  what  preparations  we  could  in  case  of 
trouble;  an  old  Maxim  gun  was  patched  up  (it  might  have  fired 
a dozen  shots  perhaps),  and  mounted  on  the  wall  of  the  fort  to 
overlook  the  place  where  the  mutineers  would  be  formed  up,  the 
Europeans  in  Cape  Coast  were  invited  to  come  inside  the  fort, 
and,  a steamer  from  Nigeria  having  arrived,  some  officers  on 
board  were  warned  to  be  ready  if  called  upon. 

Next  morning  the  “loyalists”  were  formed  up  under  my 
command  against  the  wall  of  the  fort,  being  placed  so  as  to 
be  under  the  Maxim  and  opposite  to  the  church,  while  a 
detachment  of  the  Hausa  Constabulary  was  posted  on  our 
right,  at  right  angles  to  us,  and  we  waited  developments. 
Soon  after  the  appointed  time,  down  marched  the  mutineers, 

220 


A MUTINY 


and  formed  up  opposite  to  us  on  being  told  to  halt  in  front 
of  the  church,  i.e.  in  the  most  favourable  position  for  our  fire. 
They  came  waving  a white  flag  in  front  of  them,  and  we  were  at 
first  very  much  relieved  to  think  that  the  trouble  was  over,  but 
we  were  soon  undeceived. 

The  44  loyalists,”  the  Hausas,  and  the  mutineers  formed  three 
sides  of  a hollow  square,  and,  on  its  completion,  by  the  arrival  of 
the  last-named,  Lieut. -Colonel  Henstock  roared  out  44  Shoulder 
arms,  order  arms,  ground  arms,”  thinking  to  catch  the  deserters 
on  the  hop — especially  as  they  would  see  us  going  through  the 
movements.  But  no,  only  a few  men  grounded  their  arms,  some 
refused  to  move  at  all,  some  wavered,  then  those  who  had  placed 
their  carbines  on  the  ground  recovered  them — and  there  was  a 
horrid  pause ! 

44 1 will  give  you  one  minute,”  shouted  Colonel  Hemstock, 
alive  to  the  danger.  44  There  are  some  good  men  here,  but 
there  are  some  bad  also.  Those  who  ground  arms  will  get 

” (we  had  the  money  ready  in  sight  of  all  by  the  gate  of 
the  fort),  44  and  will  go  aboard  at  once  ...  A quarter  of  a 
minute  gone,”  continued  he,  so  that  the  men  would  have  no 
chance  of  talking  together,  44  one-half — three-quarters — one 
minute — ground  arms,”  and  about  half  the  men  did  so. 

Immediately  Captain  Watson  and  our  colour-sergeant  gallantly 
ran  forward  and  seized  Morlai  Mandingo  (who  was  in  front  of 
44  his  command”),  and  rushed  him  into  the  fort,  and  meantime  we 
went  over  to  speak  to  men  whom  we  knew  only  required  some 
encouragement  to  give  in,  and  soon  there  was  a stream  of 
repentants  going  into  the  fort.  But  all  was  not  over  yet,  for 
some  100  refused  to  submit,  and  marched  off,  their  plan  being  to 
go  by  land  to  Sierra  Leone,  being  captured  later,  however,  by  a 
gunboat  with  a loss  of,  if  I remember  rightly,  over  thirty  in 
killed  and  wounded.  Still,  we  had  practically  five-sixths  of  the 
men  back  again,  and  off  we  sailed  that  night  to  Sierra  Leone, 
arriving  there  on  the  3rd  April. 

But  there  was  a gruesome  duty  to  be  done  first.  Private 
Morlai  Mandingo  was  tried  by  court-martial,  and  condemned  to 
be  shot,  and,  after  the  Governor  had  confirmed  the  sentence,  it 

221 


A MUTINY 


was  carried  out  against  the  walls  of  the  fort,  the  prisoner  being 
tied  to  a ladder.  As  junior  member  of  the  court-martial  I had 
to  give  my  opinion  first,  and  I can  remember  even  now  the 
impression  it  made  upon  me.  It  is  a horrible  responsibility  to 
have  to  decide  whether  a human  being  is  to  live  or  not ! 
However,  such  things  have  to  be  done  if  any  discipline  is  to 
be  preserved,  and  the  sooner  they  are  over  the  better;  mutiny 
while  on  active  service  is,  of  course,  one  of  the  gravest  offences. 
That  is  the  only  occasion  on  which  I have  seen  a man  shot, 
though  I have  had  to  witness,  and  even  to  take  part  in,  several 
hangings  since,  but  I have  never  been  able  to  get  used  to  such 
scenes,  which  always  make  me  feel  sick.  And  if  other  people 
were  affected  in  the  same  way  (and  I suppose  they  would  be), 
public  executions  would  have  a much  greater  deterrent  effect 
than  those  carried  out  in  the  gaol,  for  at  present  there  is 
always  a certain  amount  of  sympathy  with  persons  being  done 
to  death  in  private.  There  would  be,  of  course,  some  people 
who  would  enjoy  spectacles  like  this — there  will  always  be  such 
ghouls  in  the  world — but  the  general  public  would,  I think,  be 
much  more  stirred  and  impressed.  Still,  I would  not  advocate 
public  executions,  for  they  were  no  doubt  abolished  with  very 
good  cause ; all  I hope  is  that  I shall  not  have  to  see  any 
more. 

It  may  be  imagined  how  we  relished  the  ship’s  quiet  and  rest 
after  the  preceding  fortnight.  There  was  more  disagreeable 
work  at  Sierra  Leone  afterwards  in  trying  some  of  the 
mutineers,  but  it  was  recognised  that  the  circumstances  had 
been  exceptional,  and  that  the  men’s  hardships  had  been  great, 
and  so  only  a few  of  the  worst  of  the  offenders  were  punished, 
even  in  their  cases  the  sentences  being  very  light.  I doubt  if  the 
regiment  is  any  the  worse  for  the  mutiny : no  one  can  wonder  at 
natives  becoming  restive  under  such  conditions,  and  it  is  hardly 
likely  that  a similar  trouble  will  occur  again,  for  they  have  since 
had  a good  deal  of  experience  of  the  barrack  square — also  there 
are  white  troops  now  stationed  in  Freetown.  Most  West  African 
natives  are  good  soldiers,  and  these  are  certainly  no  exception  to 
the  rule.  I acted  as  adjutant  of  the  regiment  for  a short  time 

222 


A MUTINY 

afterwards,  and  the  better  I knew  them  the  better  I liked 
them. 

Perhaps  it  was  right  to  treat  the  whole  affair  as  a glorious 
farce;  probably  it  was  a joke  to  people  at  home  to  think  that  the 
native  rank  and  file  had  taken  charge  of  their  European  officers. 
But  it  was  grim  earnest  to  those  who  were  in  it ! 


223 


CHAPTER  XVII 


COURTSHIP,  MARRIAGE,  DIVORCE,  AND  CHILD-BIRTH 

AT  some  period  in  the  history  of  every  society,  the  family  and 
the  nation  were  one  and  the  same  thing,  and  this  can  be 
easily  understood  if  we  imagine  a man  and  his  wife  pene- 
trating alone  into  a new  and  uninhabited  district,  and  there 
raising  up  a family — or  several  families,  if  there  be  more  than  one 
wife.  We  see  such  a condition  of  things  related  in  the  case  of 
Adam  and  Eve ; the  Moroa  ancestor,  it  will  be  remembered,  was 
Eniluchwi,  who  took  his  wife  to  Ungual  Tagamma,  and  became 
the  father  of  all  the  Moroas,  and  almost  every  tribe  has  a similar 
tradition.  Now,  as  the  family  grew  in  numbers,  so  also  did  the 
influence  of  its  founder,  the  husband’s  position  as  father  gradually 
becoming  that  of  chief  as  well,  and  later  on,  probably  the  leader- 
ship in  religious  ceremonies  was  centred  in  him. 

The  idea  of  consanguinity  may  be  based  upon  kinship  through 
the  father  alone,  through  the  mother  alone,  or  partly  through 
both  parents  concurrently.  One  is  at  first  surprised  to  find  that 
the  second  of  these  systems  is  to  be  found,  but  where  a woman  is 
allowed  or  compelled  to  have  several  husbands,  it  becomes  quite 
impossible  to  reckon  kinship  through  the  father,  whereas  there 
can  never  be  any  doubt  about  the  descent  from  the  mother,  for 
that  is  apparent  to  all.  This  is  known  as  matriarchy;  patriarchy 
beinor,  of  course,  the  system  of  tracing  kinship  through  the  male 
parent.  And  as  a study  of  these  subjects  may  help  towards  a 
better  understanding  of  the  totally  different  conditions  existing 
amongst  native  peoples,  it  will  be  worth  while  to  consider  what 
was  the  origin  of  the  differences  in  these  systems,  and,  in  fact, 
what  was  the  origin  of  marriage. 

It  was  at  one  time  thought  by  many  writers  that  in  the 
earliest  times  the  relations  of  the  sexes  were  not  controlled  in 

224 


COURTSHIP  AND  MARRIAGE 


any  way,  and  that  communal  marriage,  or  even  promiscuity,  was 
allowed.  But  it  is  now  more  usual  to  admit  that  there  were  always 
some  restraints,  and  that  in  consequence  of  these  arose  group- 
marriage  (some  deny  even  this  primitive  form),  which  represents 
the  first  attempt  to  regulate  the  relations ; the  essential  features 
being  that  males  and  females  belonging  to  the  same  group 
were  not  permitted  to  intermarry,  but  would  have  to  take 
partners  from  another  group.  If  the  whole  clan  consisted  of 
only  one  group,  this  would  be  exogamy,  but  if,  as  was  more  usual, 
it  was  composed  of  several  groups,  the  members  might  be  allowed 
to  take  partners  from  groups  in  other  clans,  or  they  might  be 
compelled  to  choose  them  from  other  groups  of  their  own  clan, 
this  last  case  being  what  is  called  endogamy.  In  theory,  all  the 
males  of  one  group  had  a right  to  all  the  females  of  the  other, 
but  there  was  always  some  trace  of  individual  claim  of  priority  at 
any  rate,  though  it  cannot  be  said  that  there  was  the  slightest  idea 
that  one  man  and  one  woman  ought  to  hold  together,  but  still 
there  would  be  some  preference  shown  by  both  sexes.  The  custom 
of  lending  a wife  to  a guest  is  said  to  have  come  from  this  system. 

Now,  when  a woman  has  several  husbands,  no  child  can  know 
who  is  his  father,  and  no  husband  can  possibly  tell  who  is  his  own 
offspring.  In  fact,  he  does  not  consider  the  point  at  all,  his 
mother’s  children  and  his  mother’s  daughter’s  children  being 
regarded  as  his  nearest  kindred,  as  with  the  Ashanti  and  others, 
for  he  knows  them  to  be  of  the  same  blood  as  himself,  i.e.  he 
traces  his  relationship  through  his  mother.  In  this  case  the 
woman  who  bears  the  children  may  be  the  head  of  the  household, 
for  there  is  no  doubt  about  her  being  their  parent ; so  a girl  on 
becoming  a mother  either  starts  a new  establishment  of  her  own, 
the  husbands  being  only  secondary  in  importance,  or  else  she 
remains  in  that  of  her  mother,  this  being  an  example  of  the  rudest 
form  of  polyandry.  But  it  is  not  necessary  that  a wife  should  have 
more  than  one  husband  to  enable  or  compel  her  to  remain  in  her 
mother’s  household.  The  husband  might  be,  in  some  cases,  more 
like  a mere  guest,  his  visits  being  made  more  or  less  surreptitiously, 
so  as  to  avoid  being  seen  by  her  mother,  brothers,  and  others,  and 
taking  place  at  night  only,  the  husband  not  being  allowed  to  take 

225  p 


COURTSHIP,  MARRIAGE 

the  wife  away  to  his  own  house  until  she  has  borne  a child — if  even 
then.  The  story  of  Cupid  and  Psyche  is  said  to  be  founded  on 
this  custom,  says  Mr.  Hartland  in  Primitive  Paternity , the  breach 
of  which  resulted  in  separation,  but  afterwards  in  open  and 
permanent  union. 

While  the  wife  lives  with  her  mother,  her  earnings  will  pro- 
bably be  taken  by  her  parents,  but  once  the  husband  has  been 
allowed  to  remove  her  to  his  own  house,  she  pays  them  over  to 
him.  It  may  be  worth  noticing  that  the  word  for  marriage  has  in 
one  language  been  found  to  signify  “to  slip  by  night  into  the 
house,”  thus  clearly  indicating  the  prevalence  of  this  system  ; and 
there  is  evidence  of  it  even  amongst  the  Kagoro.  In  many  cases 
the  visits  of  the  bridegroom  began  before  marriage,  though  they 
may  sometimes  have  been  innocent,  as  we  find  exemplified  in 
Romeo  and  Juliet.  In  others  the  lover  perhaps  did  not  even 
enter  the  girl’s  apartment  before  she  was  his  wife. 

With  some  tribes  the  husband  never  has  the  right  to  take  his 
wife  away,  being  forced  instead  to  enter  her  family,  but  even  then 
there  are  cases  when  he  is  allowed  to  build  a separate  dwelling  for 
himself  and  her,  thus  indicating  the  beginnings  of  a conception  of 
father-right.  Again  (as  with  the  Bassa-Komo)  all  the  men  may 
have  to  live  in  one  part  of  their  village,  all  the  women  in  another, 
the  husband  visiting  his  wife,  or  the  wife  her  husband,  as  occasion 
permits. 

Under  this  early  form  of  matriarchy  the  authority  over  the 
children  is  vested  in  the  head  of  the  mother’s  family,  generally 
the  eldest  male,  perhaps  her  brother,  and  the  gulf  fixed  between 
him  and  the  husband  may  be  so  wide  that  one  is  liable  to  the 
other  in  the  blood  feud,  and  even  the  children  may  join  with  their 
uncles  against  their  father.  On  the  contrary,  when  a husband  has 
entered  his  wife’s  family  he  may  have  to  fight  against  his  own 
blood  relations  in  a quarrel  between  the  two  families.  Of  course 
under  the  patriarchal  system  a wife  might  have  to  side  with  her 
husband  against  her  father ; but,  as  she  would  not  fight  against 
either,  the  harm  done  would  be  nothing  like  so  great  as  in  the 
cases  mentioned  above,  where  perhaps  a son  and  father  might 
engage  in  a death  struggle. 


226 


DIVORCE,  AND  CHILD-BIRTH 

There  is  another  form,  indicating  a slight  advance  in  the 
notions  of  paternity,  existing  in  many  places,  where  a woman  can 
be  the  wife  of  several  brothers  at  a time,  but  of  brothers  only, 
there  being  thus  a limitation  to  the  choice  of  individuals  on  the 
part  of  the  female,  though  there  would  not  necessarily  be  any 
reduction  in  numbers ; this,  however,  would  probably  follow.  As 
these  husbands  would  be  connected  both  by  blood  and  interest, 
they  would  appropriate  her  issue  and  regard  them  as  members  of 
their  own  (collective)  family,  and  not  as  belonging  to  that  of  the 
mother.  Then,  again,  the  woman  might  be  the  wife  of  the  eldest 
brother  only,  or  of  both  father  and  son  ; or  fathers  and  sons, 
uncles  and  nephews,  or  other  relatives  might  hold  their  wives  in 
common,  though  outside  the  family  they  were  chaste.  Thus  Julius 
Caesar  says  that  the  Britons  had  a species  of  marriage  which 
appears  to  partake  both  of  polyandry  and  polygyny,  for  every  ten 
or  twelve  men  (usually,  if  not  always,  relatives)  held  their  wives 
in  common,  the  children  born  of  each  mother  being  regarded  as 
having  been  begotten  by  the  husband  who  first  married  her  when 
a virgin.  The  Irish  were,  apparently,  quite  as  lax  even  at  a much 
later  date. 

A development  of  this  form  is  shown  in  the  case  of  the  ‘Mbres 
about  Lake  Chad  and  others,  where  the  joint  husbands  have  to 
be  brothers  and  the  joint  wives  sisters. 

But  amongst  brothers  the  eldest  would  in  all  probability  be 
the  first  one  to  marry,  and  the  first  child,  at  any  rate,  of  the 
family  joint-wife  would  possibly  be  known  to  be  his.  In  fact,  we 
read  that  amongst  the  Kulus  of  the  Punjab  the  eldest  brother  is 
deemed  the  father  of  the  first-born  son,  the  next  of  the  second, 
and  so  on,  and  so  strongly  has  this  been  upheld  that  these  pre- 
sumptions are  now  absolute  in  law,  even  though  the  facts  are  quite 
opposed  to  them.  With  another  tribe,  where  each  has  a separate 
wife,  if  one  brother  be  impotent,  another  brother — or  perhaps  a 
stranger — might  be  appointed  to  raise  up  issue  for  him. 

Thus  a definite  conception  of  fatherhood  and  sonship  would 
arise,  and  the  father  would  naturally  be  inclined  to  look  with 
much  greater  favour  (it  could  hardly  be  called  affection  then)  on 
the  children  whom  he  knew  to  be  his  own,  than  upon  those  who 

m 


COURTSHIP,  MARRIAGE 

he  had  reason  to  believe  had  been  begotten  by  some  one  else.  It  is 
quite  possible  that  the  desire  for  this  relationship  of  father  and 
son,  when  once  aroused,  developed  so  quickly  that  it  soon  became 
powerful  enough  to  abolish  polyandry  altogether,  for'a  man  would 
come  to  allow  no  share  to  another  in  his  wife,  but  would  keep  her 
strictly  for  himself,  so  that  he  might  be  quite  certain  that  all  her 
children  were  his.  This  became  the  custom  and  then  the  law,  for 
we  know  that  customs  when  firmly  established  are  sooner  or  later 
incorporated  in  the  law-books.  Thus  in  one  of  the  Hindu  Vedas 
a husband  is  supposed  to  announce  that  he  will  no  longer  allow 
his  wives  to  be  approached  by  other  men,  since  he  has  been  in- 
formed that  a son  belongs  to  him  who  has  begotten  him  in  the 
world  of  Yama.  (Mayne,  A Treatise  on  Hindu  Laws  and  Usages.) 

Descent  now  began  to  be  traced  through  males,  and,  strange 
to  say,  the  connection  through  females  was  quite  ignored,  for 
when  a woman  married  she  left  her  own  family  altogether  and 
entered  that  of  her  husband,  the  family  consisting  exclusively  of 
male  members,  the  wives  being  but  mere  appendages  to  their 
husbands.  We  can  still  see  some  trace  of  this  in  our  own  case, 
the  change  of  our  women’s  names  on  marriage  being  a survival ; 
but  we  trace  descent  through  both  our  parents  to  a great  extent, 
even  titles  coming  in  some  cases  from  either  the  male  or  female 
line,  and  coats  of  arms  are  often  commingled. 

Once  children  had  come  to  be  recognised  as  belonging  to  the 
father,  he  naturally  began  to  value  them,  the  sons  to  defend 
his  property  and  to  help  in  the  work,  the  daughters  to  help  also, 
and  later  on  to  be  sold  to  other  men  for  wives.  And  as  one  wife 
could  produce  only  a certain  number  of  children,  and  more  and 
more  were  urgently  wanted,  the  man  began  to  take  other  wives  so 
as  to  have  two  or  more  families  growing  up  at  the  same  time. 
But  how  did  he  procure  his  wives,  and  how  did  he  protect  and 
restrain  them  when  he  had  procured  them  ? 

We  have  seen  that  in  the  case  of  many  tribes  the  husband 
went  to  live  with  his  wife  in  her  mother’s  house,  and  that  the 
children  belonged  to  her.  But  it  would  one  day  happen  that  a 
man  of  rather  more  independent  ideas  than  his  brethren  would 
refuse  to  submit  to  this,  and  would  manage  to  get  her  away  to 

228 


DIVORCE,  AND  CHILD-BIRTH 

his  own  house.  Now,  if  he  were  a popular  or  a powerful  man  (and 
his  strength  of  character  would  probably  give  him  a good  deal  of 
influence),  he  would  have  many  sympathisers,  and  if  his  wife’s 
clan  were  but  a small  one  he  would  be  able  to  keep  her  in  peace 
and  safety.  And  it  has  been  found  that  even  now  there  is  a 
survival  of  this  in  Sumatra,  where  it  is  the  custom  in  several 
tribes,  on  a marriage  taking  place,  to  decide  the  question  of  the 
residence  of  the  married  pair  by  calculating  the  relative  strength 
of  the  respective  clans,  the  wife  going  to  the  husband  or  the 
husband  to  the  wife  according  as  his  or  her  clan  is  the  more 
powerful,  the  resulting  children  belonging  to  the  clan  in  which 
they  were  born  and  brought  up.  ( Primitive  Paternity.) 

But  matters  were  not  always  settled  so  easily  nor  so  peace- 
fully. Marriage  by  capture  was  in  many  cases  the  usual  mode 
of  obtaining  a partner,  and  it  still  exists  coupled  with  exogamy 
in  certain  localities,  either  in  real  earnest  ( e.g . Central  India),  or 
in  a symbolic  form  as  amongst  the  Hausawa,  where  the  bride, 
veiled  and  screaming,  is  carried  off  by  her  husband’s  people 
although  she  may  have  been  anything  but  chaste  beforehand. 
Or  the  respective  friends  of  the  bride  and  bridegroom  may  have 
a sham  fight  or  a tug-o’-war,  the  latter  winning  as  a matter  of 
course,  and  the  bride  then  being  given  up.  Even  with  us  to-day 
(in  Church  of  England  marriages  at  any  rate)  the  friends  of  the 
bridegroom  are  placed  on  one  side  of  the  church  and  those  of  the 
bride  on  the  other,  the  bridegroom  and  his  groomsmen,  and  the 
bride  with  her  bridesmaids  separating  themselves  from  them. 
Also,  after  the  father  (or  person  acting  for  him)  has  “ given  the 
bride  away,”  he  retires  and  leaves  her  with  her  husband,  and  the 
newly-wedded  pair  go  alone  to  the  altar,  thus  showing  the  forma- 
tion of  a new  household. 

But  it  must  have  often  been  very  inconvenient  for  men, 
especially  old  ones,  to  have  to  fight  for  their  brides,  and  besides, 
as  the  number  of  the  husbands  allowed  to  one  woman  grew  less, 
the  more  distinct  became  the  notion  of  property  of  each  man  in 
his  wife.  Hence  arose  the  system  of  giving  something  in  return 
for  the  sole  protection  and  disposal  of  her,  and  of  the  children 
whom  she  bore,  and  who  belonged  to  the  owner  of  their  mother, 

229 


COURTSHIP,  MARRIAGE 

so,  concurrently  with  marriage  by  capture,  we  find  marriage  by 
purchase,  the  girls  being  sold  by  their  parents  to  become  the 
absolute  property  of  their  husbands.  But  the  husband  did  not 
always  obtain  possession  of  her  at  once ; the  longer  the  parents 
could  retain  their  daughter  in  their  possession  the  larger  were  the 
presents  they  could  exact  from  the  bridegroom.  Sometimes  he 
would  have  to  live  with  her  for  a time  in  her  mother’s  house  even 
after  he  had  paid  for  her,  perhaps  until  she  had  borne  him 
a child. 

The  wishes  of  the  girl  herself  were  seldom  consulted.  I have 
come  across  many  instances  in  Nigeria  of  what  was  practically  a 
sale,  even  by  Mohammedans,  of  young  girls  to  old  men  (with 
the  natural  result  that  they  are  unfaithful),  and  amongst  many 
pagans  the  conditions  are  even  worse,  cruelty  often  being  used  to 
the  girls  to  make  them  consent,  especially  in  Australia. 

It  is  somewhat  difficult  to  understand  such  treatment  by  a 
parent  of  his  own  daughter  until  we  remember  that  he  has  been 
well  paid  for  her,  so  if  he  did  not  force  her  to  fulfil  the  contract 
he  would  have  to  return  the  “ bride-price  ” as  it  is  usually  called ; 
and  this  custom  is  still  in  force  in  many  countries,  of  course. 
With  the  Hausas,  for  instance,  if  a man  induces  another  man’s 
wife  to  desert  her  husband  and  live  with  him,  he  may  keep  her  as 
his  wife  provided  he  pays  her  injured  husband  an  amount  equal 
to  that  which  was  paid  to  the  woman’s  father  in  the  first  instance. 

But  with  those  tribes  who  developed  more  in  civilisation,  the 
idea  of  taking  money  for  a daughter  became  repulsive,  and, 
though  the  bride-price  was  still  exacted  from  the  bridegroom, 
it  was  given  to  the  girl  herself,  either  for  her  own  particular  use, 
or  as  a joint  provision  for  the  newly  constituted  family,  thus 
becoming  her  dower.  An  extra  present  was  often  given  to  her 
by  the  husband,  and  in  many  cases  a further  present  was  exacted 
on  the  birth  of  children.  Sometimes  the  bride-price  is  paid 
partly  in  kind,  the  suitor  serving  the  bride’s  father  for  a fixed 
term  (as  in  the  case  of  Jacob  for  Rachel),  on  the  termination  of 
which  and  the  payment  of  a proportionate  fee  the  bride  enters 
her  husband’s  family,  the  children  born  before  this  perhaps 
belonging  to  her  mother’s  family.  And  if  the  husband  cannot 

230 


DIVORCE,  AND  CHILD-BIRTH 

pay  the  bride-price  he  may  have  to  remain  in  the  wife’s  family 
for  ever,  or  the  heads  of  his  kindred  may  be  made  security  for  it, 
or  else  some  of  his  children  may  be  handed  over — if  not  already 
belonging  to  the  wife’s  mother’s  family.  Usually,  however,  the 
children  follow  the  wife,  and  so  if  the  husband  pays  up  in  full  he 
gets  his  children  by  her,  but  it  may  happen  that  he  takes  only 
the  boys,  the  girls  going  to  his  mother-in-law. 

As  has  been  said,  the  bride-price  became  the  dower,  repre- 
sented at  present  by  the  marriage  settlement.  At  first,  as  the 
wife  was  the  absolute  property  of  her  husband,  everything  she 
had  passed  with  her  into  his  possession.  But  gradually  presents 
from  her  own  people,  perhaps  from  her  husband,  other  than  as 
bride-price,  and  others,  began  to  be  looked  upon  as  hers  ab- 
solutely. This  corresponds  to  the  dot  of  France  and  other 
Continental  nations,  and  is  a contribution,  generally  by  the  wife’s 
family  or  the  wife  herself,  to  assist  the  husband  in  bearing  the 
expenses  of  the  new  household.  But  only  the  revenue  belonged 
to  the  husband,  the  corpus  being  inalienable  by  him. 

It  was  only  towards  the  end  of  the  last  century  that  English 
husbands  were  prevented  by  the  “Married  Women’s  Property 
Act  ” from  taking  their  wives’  possessions,  and  the  women  were 
enabled  to  keep  a hold  on  their  own,  so  we  must  not  be  too  hasty 
in  judging  native  tribes  who  are  backward  in  this  and  other 
respects.  The  Mohammedan  laws  of  dower  are  now  observed  by 
the  Filani,  Hausawa,  and  others  in  Nigeria,  and  this  is  neither 
dowrer  nor  dot  since  it  is  the  wife’s  own  property  absolutely,  and 
is  not  given  by  the  husband  nor  by  the  parents  as  a contribu- 
tion towards  household  expenses,  but  is  offered  in  consideration 
of  marriage,  corresponding  in  some  degree  to  our  marriage 
settlement. 

And  now,  having  given  an  outline  of  the  evolution  of  marriage, 
let  us  proceed  to  examine  the  customs  amongst  the  Kagoro. 

The  Kagoro  and  Moroa  girls  marry  later  than  the  Kajji, 
whose  brides  can  hardly  average  ten  years  of  age.  There  is,  how- 
ever, no  age  limit,  for  no  one  knows  the  number  of  years  he  or 
she  has  lived,  and  even  seasons  are  not  noted  for  the  purpose  of 

231 


COURTSHIP,  MARRIAGE 

reckoning  ages,  though  the  seed  time,  harvest,  &c.,  are  known, 
for  much  depends  on  them,  and  in  any  case  there  is  not  much 
difficulty  in  obtaining  such  elementary  knowledge  when  rainy  and 
dry  seasons  are  sharply  defined. 

The  reason  for  the  early  age  of  brides  is,  of  course,  the  desire 
to  profit  as  much  and  as  often  as  possible  by  their  marriages,  as 
will  be  explained  later.  Girls  are  nearly  always  chaste  before 
marriage,  and  even  afterwards  according  to  their  ideas,  and  the 
girdle  of  string  (ivyari)  worn  by  girls  is  in  most  cases  a true  sign 
of  virginity.  Of  course,  as  I was  informed,  44  there  is  a thief  in 
every  town,”  but  the  exceptions  to  the  rule  must  be  rare.  When  a 
man  goes  to  propose — or  his  father  or  guardian  for  him  if  he  be  a 
minor — he  probably  ornaments  himself  by  painting  his  face,  and 
wearing  a long  iron  chain,  if  he  has  one,  round  his  neck,  and  he 
takes  a sum  of  cowries,  from  four  thousand  to  ten  thousand,  the 
amount  depending  upon  his  station  and  circumstances  and  those 
of  the  girl’s  family,  and  gives  them  to  the  prospective  father-in- 
law.  His  suit  is  often  supported  by  friends,  and  if  it  be  accepted 
he  adds  a hoe,  a goat,  a dog,  and  the  flesh  of  another  goat  which 
is  then  eaten.  He  is  then  supposed  to  be  betrothed,  and  can 
claim  his  wife  at  once  if  she  be  a divorcee,  but  he  must  wait  until 
the  next  wet  season  if  she  be  a virgin. 

The  only  conditions  necessary  on  the  part  of  the  bridegroom 
are  that  he  must  be  able  to  pay  the  bride-price  (or  rather  his 
father  for  him),  and  that  he  is  adult.  It  is  said  by  some  that  he 
must  have  taken  a head,  as  mentioned  before,  but  that  is  pro- 
bably not  correct. 

Though  the  girl  has  apparently  no  right  of  choice,  she  has 
some  right  of  veto — though  I doubt  if  she  would  have  the  chance 
of  exercising  it  if  not  already  married — but  the  father’s  fee  must 
be  paid  before  she  is  supposed  to  know  that  she  is  being  sought. 
No  doubt  she  does  know  in  most  cases,  but  sometimes  it  may 
happen  that  the  father  will  accept  presents  secretly  from  several 
suitors,  and  after  he  has  spent  the  money  simply  tell  them  that 
his  daughter  or  ward  will  not  marry  them.  The  Kagoro  being 
blessed  with  but  little  property,  the  father  probably  cannot,  or  at 
any  rate  will  not  repay  the  money,  so  the  only  remedy  the  unsuc- 

232 


DIVORCE,  AND  CHILD-BIRTH 

cessful  suitors  have  in  most  cases  is  to  try  and  capture  him  when 
out  hunting  or  farming,  and  keep  him  prisoner  until  he  has  paid  ; 
or  perhaps  they  would  have  sold  him  as  a slave  in  earlier  times. 
If,  however,  the  father  stays  at  home  he  is  comparatively  safe,  for 
poisoned  arrows  are  fairly  efficacious  for  keeping  unwelcome 
visitors  at  a distance.  Sooner  or  later  his  friends  will  prevail 
upon  him  to  settle  the  quarrel,  or  he  may  be  induced  to  appear 
before  a court  of  elders. 

However,  when  a suitor  has  been  accepted,  and  has  paid  up  in 
full,  a great  amount  of  guinea-corn  beer  ( akann ) is  prepared  by 
his  people,  which  on  the  wedding-day  is  taken  to  the  house  of  the 
bride’s  father,  where  the  feasting  and  dancing  are  held.  It  seems 
strange  that  the  bridegroom’s  family  should  supply  the  akann; 
probably  it  is  part  of  the  bride-price.  The  festivities  then  com- 
mence (merely  drunkenness  and  dancing,  I understand,  nothing 
otherwise  objectionable  takes  place),  and  may  be  continued  for 
any  number  of  days  up  to  ten,  but  seldom  for  more  than  three — 
in  fact  until  the  akann  gives  out — and  both  the  bridegroom  and 
bride  partake  of  it. 

The  mother-in-law  is  said  to  give  the  bridegroom  a bowl  of 
beans  or  some  porridge  (tuk),  but  no  food  is  provided  for  any  of 
the  guests,  for  they  go  home  to  their  meals,  returning  again  for  the 
akann ; it  is  extraordinary  how  people,  even  civilised  folk,  like 
free  beer.  There  seems  to  be  no  avoidance  of  the  mother-in-law, 
as  is  the  case  with  so  many  tribes,  where  the  bridegroom  is  not 
only  forbidden  to  speak  to  her,  but  must  even  take  to  flight  should 
he  by  chance  meet  her.  This  is  a survival  from  the  time 
when  the  husband  first  visited  his  wife  in  secret  at  her  mother’s 
house,  and  so  it  is  the  mother  only  and  not  the  father  who  is  tabu , 
though  sometimes  the  prohibition  includes  several  of  the  wife’s 
relatives.  Thus  arises  our  joke — always  so  popular  on  the  music- 
hall  stage — about  mothers-in-law  being  in  the  way.  The  joke  is 
becoming  unintelligible  to  most  of  us,  and  may  some  day  die  out, 
though  the  genius  required  for  making  witty  remarks  about 
drunken  husbands,  wives  with  twins,  and  bloaters  will  never  go 
unrecognised,  for  England  has  few  other  topics  so  excruciatingly 
amusing. 


233 


COURTSHIP,  MARRIAGE 

Marriages  of  virgins  should  take  place  only  during  the  wet 
season,  after  seed  time  is  over,  say  between  June  and  August.  We 
know  that  with  ourselves  “in  the  spring  a young  man’s  fancy 
lightly  turns  to  thoughts  of  love,”  and  that  in  Brittany  many 
marriages  take  place  on  the  eve  of  Lent.  On  the  first  day  of  the 
dancing,  the  bride  is  taken  to  the  bridegroom’s  house  by  her 
mother,  who  is  given  two  thousand  cowries,  or  a hoe,  perhaps  for 
her  trouble,  and  by  his  female  relatives,  and  is  allowed  to  stay 
and  engage  in  conversation  for  a little  while.  She  is  then  taken 
back  to  her  mother’s  house,  but  in  the  evening  the  bridegroom 
follows,  and  sleeps  with  her,  and  the  next  day  she  again  visits  him. 
Some  say  that  she  is  now  allowed  to  stay  altogether,  others  that 
she  does  not  remain  until  the  seventh  day,  but  in  any  case  she  is 
soon  given  up  by  her  people  and  enters  her  husband’s  family,  the 
time  probably  depending  on  the  promptness  of  the  payment  of 
her  price,  though  she  is  not  quite  removed  from  the  tutelage  of 
her  father. 

At  the  end  of  the  millet  farming,  the  bride  is  given  a tail,  and 
she  hangs  leaves  in  front,*  these  being  the  insignia  of  marriage, 
her  girdle  of  string  having  been  previously  removed  by  her 
mother.  The  husband  then  kills  a dog,  and  eats  the  head,  liver, 
entrails,  and  legs,  those  who  have  helped  him  in  his  suit  are  given 
the  throat,  and  the  girl’s  father  has  the  remainder,  she  herself 
having  nothing,  apparently.  The  reason  for  giving  the  throat  to 
the  friends  is  that  they  used  theirs — i.e.  talked — in  his  service, 
and  this  extraordinary  example  of  symbolism  seemed  to  me  too 
unlikely  to  be  true,  but  at  the  same  time  I think  they  are  far  too 
unimaginative  to  make  up  such  a story  on  the  spur  of  the 
moment,  though  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  native  mind  will 
invent  a reason  for  everything  if  given  time.  The  marriage  is  now 
complete,  and  the  last  scarification — the  lines  on  the  forehead — 
is  performed.  As  has  been  said  before,  a Kagoro  girl  cannot  lose 
her  marriage  lines,  nor  can  she  hide  them  from  view.  Probably,  if 
the  wife  be  well  behaved  and  satisfactory,  the  father  and  mother 
will  receive  further  presents  from  the  husband,  whose  interest  it  is 
to  keep  in  with  them. 

Widows  and  divorcees  may  re-marry  at  any  time  of  the  year, 

234, 


DIVORCE,  AND  CHILD-BIRTH 

and  the  procedure  is  much  the  same,  except  for  the  fact  that  the 
wife  may  at  once  live  with  her  husband.  But  in  the  very  rare  case 
of  an  unmarried  girl  conceiving,  she  would  be  taken  to  the  lover’s 
house  by  an  old  man  of  her  family,  and  the  lover  would  be  forced 
to  marry  her.  In  this  case  there  is  no  bride-price — though  a fine 
or  damages  would  be  exacted  if  possible — and  no  dancing  and 
drinking  takes  place. 

The  first  wife  is  the  chief,  and  she  looks  after  the  others.  She 
can,  apparently,  punish  them  for  disobedience  by  slapping  or 
in  other  ways,  and  they  are  not  allowed  to  retaliate.  But  when 
considering  all  these  rules  it  must  be  remembered  that  if  the 
offender  refuses  to  pay  the  penalty  he  or  she  can  but  rarely  be 
forced  to  do  so,  for  a man  would  defend  himself  with  his  arms, 
and  a woman  would  run  off  to  her  father.  A Kagoro  or  Kajji 
husband’s  lot  is  not  a happy  one. 

In  earliest  times,  concurrently  with  the  looseness  of  the  mar- 
riage tie  there  was  naturally  greater  facility  for  breaking  it. 
With  many  peoples,  it  is  not  even  now  necessary  for  the  bride  to 
be  a virgin,  the  prospective  husband  sometimes  even  requiring  a 
proof  of  fertility  in  the  woman  before  she  became  his  wife  (as  is 
said  to  be  the  case  now  in  the  Black  Country  where  girls  have 
“ love-children  ”),  and  he  would  not  always  mind  who  was  respon- 
sible for  the  proof  since  the  child  would  be  his  if  he  owned  the 
mother.  It  is  no  disgrace  in  a Yoruba  girl,  I believe,  to  be 
unchaste  before  her  betrothal,  and  the  chief  of  Jemaan  Daroro 
told  me  that  there  was  not  a virgin  in  his  town  over  the  age 
of  ten — I should  have  said  even  less.  The  Cow-Filani  are 
very  strict,  but  their  sisters  of  the  towns  are  rather  liable  to 
lapses,  though  they  seem  to  take  place  more  after  marriage  than 
before. 

The  primitive  Arabs  have  been  shown  by  Professor  Robertson 
Smith  to  have  been  matrilineal,  a husband  being  not  much  more 
than  a temporary  lover  who  would  go  or  be  sent  away  at  any  time, 
the  wife  keeping  any  child  of  the  union.  Then  there  grew  up  a 
temporary  marriage  ( mutaa ) even  now  recognised  by  Shia  Mahom- 
medans — though  not  by  Sunnis — which  vras  a compact  of  union  for 

235 


COURTSHIP,  MARRIAGE 

a fixed  term,  becoming  dissolved  at  the  expiry  of  the  period 
named. 

In  Bengal  to-day  a husband  may  have  to  execute  a deed 
stipulating  never  to  scold  his  wife,  nor  even  disagree  with  her, 
the  penalty  in  each  case  being  a divorce. 

We  have  seen  how  the  power  of  the  husband  over  his  wife 
gradually  grew  to  the  exclusion  of  that  of  her  kindred,  and  as  the 
notion  of  property  in  the  wife  developed,  the  husband’s  power  of 
divorce  became  greater  and  greater,  and  that  of  the  wife  less  and 
less.  The  most  unfair  laws  nowadays  are  probably  those  of  the 
Mohammedans,  for  the  husband  can  divorce  his  wife  without  any 
ceremony,  and  for  no  cause,  the  only  check  being  that  he  will 
have  to  pay  her  her  dower — which  he  probably  still  owes.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  Mohammedan  wife  can  also  have  an  agree- 
ment giving  her  the  power  to  divorce  herself  if  the  husband  is 
unkind  to  her.  Even  with  us  the  sexes  are  not  treated  in  exactly 
the  same  way,  the  idea  being  (as  is,  no  doubt,  the  case)  that  a 
husband  is  more  injured  by  the  infidelity  of  his  wife  than  the  wife 
by  the  misconduct  of  her  husband,  though  the  offence  is  usually 
regarded  as  a civil  one. 

The  seduction  of  another  man’s  wife,  though  at  first  a matter 
of  little  concern  to  any  except  the  woman  herself,  gradually  came 
to  be  regarded  as  an  injury  to  the  husband,  who  had  bought  her 
for  his  own  pleasure  alone.  The  offence  does  not  consist  in  the 
immorality,  but  in  the  damaging  of  the  property  of  another,  for  a 
husband  can  lend  his  wife  if  he  likes  and  no  harm  is  done,  though 
by  strict  Mohammedan  law  adulterers  can  be  sentenced  to  death 
by  a Kadi.  As  we  have  seen,  the  Hausawa  and  others  will  take  a 
money  payment,  but  with  highly  civilised  nations  this  is  rarely  the 
case,  “ the  unwritten  law  ” regarding  the  killing  of  the  wife  and 
her  paramour  with  a lenient  eye.  We  in  England  have  something 
corresponding  to  the  Hausa  notion,  accepting  damages,  and  divorc- 
ing the  wife  and  letting  her  go  off  with  her  new  lover — a proceed- 
ing which  the  French,  for  instance,  cannot  understand — but  in 
India  the  male  offender  is  liable  to  imprisonment  under  the  Indian 
Penal  Code.  Civilised  nations,  however,  do  not  take  things  as 
calmly  as  some  peoples,  who  are  said  to  consider  it  bad  form  to  show 

23  6 


DIVORCE,  AND  CHILD-BIRTH 

even  reluctance  to  the  seduction  of  their  wives  though  they  may  go 
off  with  their  seducers,  the  latter,  perhaps,  in  turn  leaving  their 
own  wives,  the  deserted  husbands  taking  them  in  exchange. 

There  are  other  causes  for  divorce,  however,  besides  infidelity  ; 
thus  barrenness,  cruelty,  and  incompatibility  of  temper  are  good 
grounds  in  the  highest  as  well  as  in  the  lowest  stages,  and  where  a 
bride-price  has  been  paid  it  can  possibly  be  recovered. 

When  a Kagoro  girl  is  once  married,  she  will  seldom  leave  her 
husband  of  her  own  free  will  except  on  account  of  cruelty,  im- 
potence, or  because  of  having  borne  an  abnormal  child.  If  she 
does  leave  him,  and  the  husband  wants  her  back,  he  will  take 
another  dog  to  his  father-in-law,  and  ask  him  to  persuade  her  to 
return  to  him,  and  this  is  usually  done.  But  in  some  cases, 
although  the  woman  herself  may  be  quite  ready  to  go  back,  her 
father  may  not  be  willing  to  allow  her  to  do  so  unless  the  husband 
gives  more  presents,  and  in  fact,  he  may  induce  her  to  leave  while 
actually  living  with  her  husband  so  that  he  can  exact  some. 
When  the  woman  has  come  to  her  father’s  house,  the  latter  has 
full  power  over  her  again,  and  he  may  give  her  to  another  man  in 
return  for  a new  bride-price,  and  refuse  her  to  her  proper  husband. 
In  this  case  the  latter  has  no  further  power  over  his  late  wife, 
for  such  an  act  on  the  part  of  her  father  acts  as  a divorce,  and  he 
is  supposed  to  bear  his  supplanter  no  malice,  though  he  may  try 
to  persuade  her  to  return  to  him  again.  If  all  his  arguments  fail 
with  her,  he  may  try  to  take  her  by  force,  or  he  may  give  her 
father  a still  larger  present  than  the  new  one  has  done,  and  so  get 
her  back  again  legally. 

As  I have  said,  rival  husbands  are  supposed  to  feel  no  ani- 
mosity, but  there  is  a belief,  and  probably  a well-grounded  one, 
that  if  they  meet  during  a raid  or  hunting  expedition,  one  of 
them  (usually,  if  not  always,  the  supplanter)  66  will  be  hurt  by  an 
arrow  and  die.”  As  every  man  has  his  special  marks  on  his 
arrows,  and  the  shaft  which  kills  the  rival  is  unmarked,  the  death 
is  put  down  to  magic ; but  is  it  not  possible  that  on  such  occasions 
the  ex-husband  conveniently  forgets  to  mark  his  arrow?  This,  of 
course,  applies  only  when  one  has  taken  the  wife  of  another 
Kagoro,  for  there  is  no  bad  luck  involved  even  in  the  forcible 

o ' 


COURTSHIP,  MARRIAGE 

seizing  and  keeping  the  wife  of  a man  of  another  tribe ; on  the 
contrary  it  is  quite  proper,  and  all  the  best  people  do  it. 

In  addition  to  the  presents  to  the  father  of  the  girl  at  the  time 
a man  wishes  to  have  her  as  his  wife,  a further  gift,  or  “ child- 
price,”  as  it  might  be  called,  must  be  made  to  him  on  the  birth 
of  each  child,  otherwise  the  grandfather  owns  them,  and  this 
obtains  in  the  Torres  Straits  also.  I called  a meeting  of  the 
chiefs  in  1909,  and  told  them  that  as  these  frequent  payments 
were  a source  of  a good  many  of  the  quarrels,  on  my  return  the 
father  would  receive  a present  only  on  his  daughter’s  marriage, 
and  that  he  would  have  to  return  it  if  the  woman  ran  away 
by  his  advice.  The  child-price  would  also  be  abolished,  but  the 
husband  would  have  to  give  a present  to  his  wife  on  each  occasion. 
The  chiefs  readily  accepted  the  idea  at  the  time — though  as  I did 
not  return,  I cannot  say  whether  any  change  has  been  made — for 
they  saw  that  although  they  might  lose  as  fathers,  they  would  gain 
as  lovers  (and  even  the  oldest  men  are  continually  seeking  new 
wives),  and  that  the  woman’s  father  would  no  longer  wish  her  to 
leave  her  husband,  while  she  herself  was  given  an  incentive  to  stay. 

Three  different  accounts  were  given  me  by  the  Kagoro  of  what 
is  done  with  the  umbilicus  of  a newly  born  child,  one  being  that 
the  part  was  burnt,  the  ashes  mixed  with  grease,  and  rubbed  on 
the  child’s  head  to  harden  it ; another  that  the  ashes  were  ground 
and  eaten  with  yam ; and  the  third,  that  the  cord  was  planted  at 
the  roots  of  yams  to  secure  a good  harvest  next  year.  The  Kagoro 
have  but  few  yams,  and  these  have  been  imported,  so  the  first 
would  seem  to  be  the  correct  version ; but  with  the  Moroa,  the 
third  is  probably  the  right  one.  In  England,  says  Mr.  Hartland, 
witches  were  once  supposed  to  steal  children  before  baptism,  and 
to  boil  their  bodies,  part  of  the  resulting  jelly  being  eaten,  the 
remainder  being  used  as  an  unguent  for  rubbing  on  their  bodies, 
and  this  was  the  orthodox  method  of  acquiring  magical  powers. 
The  second  account  may,  therefore,  be  true  of  the  Kagoro. 

If  a child  is  still-born,  cold  water  is  thrown  on  the  face,  and 
shovels,  hoes,  &c.,  are  beaten  in  the  vicinity — to  make  it  hear,  so 

238 


DIVORCE,  AND  CHILD-BIRTH 

they  say,  but  there  may  be  some  notion  of  the  magical  properties 
of  the  iron — and  if  there  are  no  signs  of  life  in  half-an-hour  or  so, 
the  child  is  given  up  for  dead,  and  the  body  is  buried. 

Kagoro  women  will  nurse  their  children  for  a couple  of  years, 
Moroa  mothers  twice  that  time,  but  as  they  live  apart  from  their 
husbands  meanwhile,  there  are  no  hard  and  fast  rules.  Children 
are  carried  on  their  mothers’  backs,  and  if  it  be  only  for  a little 
while  they  can  hang  on  without  any  artificial  assistance,  but  if 
to  go  on  a journey,  a child  is  put  into  a sail-shaped  carrier 
made  of  leather  or  string,  one  end  being  tied  around  the  mother’s 
neck,  and  the  other  around  her  waist,  so  that  the  child’s  neck  is 
inside  the  covering,  a leg  protruding  on  each  side.  A Kagoro 
mother  does  not  put  her  child’s  head  in  a bag,  but  she  gets  most 
of  its  body  there.  The  Hausa  child  is  supported  by  a cloth. 

If  a child  be  an  idiot,  or  unable  to  move  about,  it  may  be 
thrown  into  the  water,  “ but  not  killed,”  so  they  say,  though  it 
comes  to  very  much  the  same  thing  so  far  as  the  ordinary  person 
can  see.  This  usually  happens  when  the  child  is  between  the  ages 
of  one  and  four,  but  in  some  cases  it  may  be  given  a much  longer 
time  in  the  hope  that  it  will  recover  and  become  a normal  being. 
u It  is  evidently  a snake,  and  not  a human  being,”  so  I was  told, 
“ and  if,  after  you  have  thrown  him  into  the  water,  you  go  away, 
and  then  come  back  silently  and  hide  yourself,  you  will  see  the 
child  lengthen  out  until  it  becomes  a snake.”  This  custom  of 
infanticide  was  prevalent  in  Jemaan  Daroro,  and  in  the  sur- 
rounding districts  also.  Matchu,  a Filani  blacksmith,  who 
supplied  the  information,  told  me  that  his  grandfather,  Shobin, 
took  an  idiot  boy  to  the  river  side,  and  made  him  sit  with  his  face 
to  the  stream.  He  and  the  boy’s  father  gave  the  boy  some  kiinu , 
or  native  broth,  and  while  he  was  eating  it  they  stole  away  and 
climbed  a tree  overlooking  the  river.  Soon  afterwards  the  boy 
glanced  round,  and,  seeing  no  one,  he  began  to  grow  until  he  was  as 
tall  as  a tree,  turning  at  the  same  time  into  a snake.  Shobin  and 
the  father  were  terrified  and  ran  away,  the  former  tearing  his  leg 
against  a log  during  the  flight,  the  mark,  which  he  had  to 
the  day  of  his  death,  being,  of  course,  an  indisputable  proof  of  the 
story.  It  is  possible  that  once  on  some  former  occasion  when  a 

239 


COURTSHIP  AND  MARRIAGE 

child  was  thrown  in,  a crocodile  or  some  other  monster  leapt  up 
and  caught  him,  thus  terrifying  the  onlookers,  and  giving  rise  to 
this  myth,  which  really  reversed i the  natural  order.  And  yet,  of 
course,  the  child  would  become  part  of  the  crocodile  after  having 
been  digested,  so  perhaps,  after  all,  the  myth  is  correct,  and 
merely  accelerates  the  physiological  processes. 

If  a Moroa  gives  birth  to  an  idiotic  or  deformed  baby, 
medicines  are  tried,  even  up  to  the  age  of  ten  years  if 
necessary.  The  mother  will  nurse  it  for  some  time,  and  if 
it  does  not  become  normal  may  leave  it  with  the  father,  and 
marry  some  one  else ; and  she  will  never  return  to  the  house 
while  the  child  is  alive  lest  its  evil  influence  should  prevent 
her  having  normal  issue,  but  she  may  come  back  after  its 
death.  When  the  father  is  convinced  that  it  is  useless  to 
expect  any  improvement  he  calls  in  a Kagoro  or  Attakka 
priest,  who  will  throw  it  into  the  river  Kaduna,  but  he 
himself  has  to  hide,  for  the  child  turns  into  a pillar  of  fire 
and  smoke,  and  would  consume  him  if  present.  The  Kagoro  and 
Attakka  have  much  stronger  <c  medicine  ” than  the  Moroa,  so 
they  do  the  drowning  themselves,  and  it  is  just  possible,  judging 
from  this  and  from  the  fact  that  the  time  of  probation  is  so 
long  amongst  the  Moroa,  that  the  Kagoro  taught  them  the 
custom. 

Even  in  the  changing  of  a human  being  into  a pillar  of  fire 
and  smoke  we  have  a parallel  in  English  folk-lore,  for  we  find  in 
The  Science  of  Fairy  Tales  that  Cranmere  Pool,  on  Dartmoor, 
was  once  a penal  settlement  for  refractory  spirits,  and  that  many 
of  the  former  inhabitants  of  the  parish  were  thought  to  be  there 
expiating  their  ghostly  pranks,  the  spirit  of  one  old  farmer 
being  so  obstreperous  that  seven  clergymen  were  required  to 
secure  him,  and  only  then  did  they  do  so  by  transforming  him 
into  a colt,  which  was  given  to  a servant  boy  with  instructions  to 
take  it  to  Cranmere  Pool,  and  slip  off  the  halter  without  looking 
round.  The  boy  did  look,  of  course,  and  beheld  the  colt  in  the 
form  of  a ball  of  fire  plunge  into  the  water,  and  the  boy  lost  his 
eyesight  in  consequence.  We  know  what  we  think  of  the  Moroa 
myth ; I wonder  what  they  would  think  of  ours  ! 

240 


CHAPTER  XVII 


FOOD  AND  DRINK 

AS  I have  said  before,  the  amount  of  filth  that  the  European 
takes  into  his  system  in  West  Africa  is  accountable  for 
more  sickness  than  the  mosquito,  but  the  quantity  of  dirt 
which  Europeans  eat  and  drink  is  easily  surpassed  by  that  which 
finds  its  way  into  the  insides  of  the  natives,  some  of  whom  seem 
to  revel  in  it.  Perhaps  it  is  necessary  to  their  digestion,  as  is, 
I believe,  the  case  with  dogs,  but  whether  necessary  or  not,  they 
certainly  get  it. 

The  principal  articles  of  food  in  the  Jemaan  Daroro  district, 
so  far  as  cereals  are  concerned,  are  maize,  millet,  guinea-corn, 
and  a grain  called  by  the  Hausawa  atcha,  which  makes  a dish  like 
ground  rice.  There  are  two  kinds  of  beans,  the  seeds  of  one 
variety  being  mixed  with  red  earth  when  being  sown,  though 
I could  not  ascertain  for  what  reason,  and  of  other  vegetables 
there  are  yams,  though  these  are  scarce,  sweet  potatoes,  ok  roes, 
manihots,  tomatoes  (a  small  wild  variety  resembling  berries), 
and  onions. 

Ground-nuts  and  other  nuts  make  good  soup,  and  palm-oil  is 
always  a welcome  addition  to  a dish,  even  Europeans  revelling  in 
“ palm-oil  chop,”  which  looks  like  an  Irish  stew  mixed  with  red 
furniture  polish,  chop  here  meaning  food,  and  not  a cutlet ; 
while  kola-nuts  are  being  introduced,  though  they  are  still  very 
scarce. 

Of  fruits  there  are  the  paw-paw,  the  banana,  and  the  edible 
parts  of  the  fan-palm,  which  taste  something  like  mangoes,  and  a 
few  limes.  Pineapples  are  not  found,  though  they  are  to  be  bought 
in  Lokoja,  and  in  fact,  fruit  is  very  scarce  in  Northern  Nigeria 
generally,  even  limes  and  bananas  being  unprocurable  in  many 
districts.  Pepper  is  grown  and  sold,  salt  is  bought  from  traders, 

241  Q. 


FOOD  AND  DRINK 


or  else  guinea-corn  or  other  stalks  are  burnt  to  produce  a saline 
condiment ; and  honey,  black  and  watery,  is  obtained  from  wild 
or  domesticated  bees. 

Of  meats  there  are  the  small  rat  and  mouse,  and  the  bat,  all 
of  which  are  said  to  be  very  good  in  soup ; beef,  stolen  from  the 
Filani  should  any  be  about  and  not  particularly  watchful ; the 
red  kob  and  other  species,  though  I have  never  seen  any  myself 
in  the  Kagoro  district,  the  last  having  been  killed  some  time 
ago,  I should  imagine ; and  lastly,  the  goat,  the  sheep,  and  the 
dog,  the  latter  a very  favourite  and  ceremonial  food.  The 
guinea-fowl  and  francolin  do  not  seem  to  be  eaten  though 
they  are  found  in  the  district,  but  the  fowl  is  kept  for 
sacrifices  and  for  feasts.  There  are  several  kinds  of  fish  in 
the  rivers,  the  best  eating  being  what  the  Hausawa  call 
tarwada , a comical-looking  creature  with  long  whiskers. 

Flour,  water,  and  sometimes  a bitter  herb,  may  be  cooked  and 
made  into  a kind  of  weak  soup,  and  this  may  be  drunk  at  any 
time,  though  it  is  generally  prepared  in  the  morning.  For  lunch, 
flour  and  cold  water  usually  suffice — a cold  comfort  on  a wet 
day,  but  very  appetising  when  on  the  march  in  a hot  sun, 
apparently.  After  sunset,  flour  is  cooked  into  a kind  of  pud- 
ding or  porridge,  and  is  eaten  with  meat  and  soup,  and  any  oil 
and  spices  which  may  be  obtainable. 

The  morning  and  evening  meals  are  the  only  ones  which  are 
cooked,  and  the  former  are  often  not  hot,  especially  when  on 
the  march,  the  remains  of  the  previous  night’s  repast  being 
polished  off  to  save  trouble.  But,  needless  to  say,  the  people 
will  eat  at  all  and  any  times  when  there  is  something  to  be  got ; 
their  appetites  never  fail  them.  Cooked  meat  is  carried  when 
going  on  a journey,  and  some  dry  flour  to  be  mixed  with  water, 
and  as  these  and  other  things  are  put  in  a bag  together,  the  mess 
produced  is  one  which  many  a pet  dog  in  England  would  turn  up 
his  nose  at — and  I should  not  blame  him.  I have  tasted  many  of 
their  soups,  but  I never  did  more  than  taste  them,  for  they  all 
seemed  very  bitter ; the  meat  I never  attempted — even  Hausawa 
will  eat  flesh  absolutely  rotten,  often  not  even  troubling  to 
cook  it. 


242 


Showing  the  lattice-work  on  which  the  beans  grow,  and  the  curious  roof  of  a Head-hunter’s  house,  looking  as  if  it  had 
been  blown  over.  The  woman  carrying  water  is  at  the  back  of  the  house. 


FOOD  AND  DRINK 


The  head-hunting  tribes  in  the  Nassarawa  province  do  not 
keep  cattle,  but  some  of  the  people  over  the  Bauchi  border  do, 
even  though  they  do  not  milk  them,  and  this  rather  surprises  one, 
for  the  land  gives  very  good  pasturage.  When  the  people  happen 
to  be  quiet,  the  Filani  graze  on  the  lands,  and  always  have  a good 
sale  for  their  butter  and  milk,  all  the  natives  seeming  to  be 
staunch  advocates  of  the  sour  milk  cure,  and  when  this  is  mixed 
with  flour  and  water  the  absolute  pinnacle  of  gourmandism  is 
reached. 

A white  earth  is  sometimes  eaten  as  a charm  to  secure  easy 
child-birth,  but  there  seems  to  be  nothing  else  in  this  way  used  as 
food,  except  for  the  ash  mentioned  above. 

In  times  of  great  famine  the  roots  of  a small  plant  are  pounded 
up  and  cooked  with  ashes  and  water,  or  oil  if  available,  and  there 
are  a few  other  articles  used  at  such  times,  though  despised  when 
the  ordinary  food-stuffs  are  obtainable.  I am  not  sure  if  the  head- 
hunters eat  worms,  but  I suppose  they  do.  Sir  Harry  Johnston 
says  that  in  Liberia  some  women  eat  the  lice  out  of  each  other’s 
heads,  that  delicacy  being  the  perquisite  for  doing  duty  as  barber. 
I do  not  know  if  the  same  holds  good  in  Northern  Nigeria,  but  I 
should  not  be  surprised  to  find  that  it  does  amongst  Yoruba 
people,  for  they  will  eat  anything. 

By  the  way,  that  reminds  me  that  one  day,  when  having  the 
rest-house  repaired,  I went  up  to  see  how  the  work  was  progressing, 
being  accompanied  by  Ajai,  the  Yoruba  Court  Messenger  whom 
I have  mentioned  before.  I was  talking  to  the  Mada(i)ki,  who 
was  in  charge  of  the  work,  when  suddenly  Ajai  made  a dart  at  a 
large  stone,  rolled  it  over,  and  began  cramming  things  into  his 
mouth  with  evident  satisfaction.  I looked,  and  to  my  horror 
saw  that  he  was  eating  live  insects  like  cockroaches,  and,  turning 
to  the  Mada(i)ki,  expressed  my  opinion  of  Ajai  in  no  polite 
terms.  “These  Yoruba wa,”  said  the  great  man,  with  a gesture 
of  supreme  disgust,  “ would  eat  anything  ; / should  not  eat  those 
cockroaches  unless  they  were  cooked.” 

All  these  tribes  are  very  good  agriculturists,  the  Moroa  being 
perhaps  the  best,  and  they  raise  a good  deal  of  guinea-corn  and 
millet  every  year,  but  unfortunately  they  make  most  of  it  into 

243 


FOOD  AND  DRINK 

beer — or  as  they  call  it,  aJcann — so  that  from  June  to  October 
they  are  usually  in  a state  of  semi-starvation,  and  have  nothing  to 
eat  but  some  bitter  roots  and  what  they  can  buy  or  steal.  It  is, 
as  far  as  these  peoples  are  concerned  (and  I am  referring  only  to 
them),  a pity  that  the  importation  of  liquor  is  prohibited,  for  they 
will  drink,  whatever  we  do,  and  if  they  had  the  chance  to  obtain 
gin  (which  would  be  much  less  harmful  than  akann  in  the  opinion 
of  the  Committee  of  Inquiry  into  the  Liquor  Trade  in  Southern 
Nigeria)  they  might  be  able  to  keep  their  grain  for  food,  the  want 
of  which  is  the  greatest  incentive  to  robbing  their  neighbour^ 
supplies.  I do  not  say  that  it  is  better  for  a native  to  get  drunk 
than  not  to  get  drunk,  though  I am  strongly  of  opinion  that  one 
“ tot  ” of  whisky  or  gin  after  sunset  is  beneficial  to  a European  in 
the  tropics.  I only  say  that  since  these  pagans  will  get  themselves 
into  a glorious  state  of  hilarity  on  every  possible  occasion,  it  is 
better  that  they  should  be  able  to  do  so  by  buying  a special 
liquor  than  by  using  up  their  food-stuffs,  and  thus  be  forced  to 
depend  on  robbery  for  their  livelihood,  especially  if  that  special 
liquor  is  less  harmful  in  its  effects  on  their  systems.  And  as  far 
as  the  importation  of  strong  drinks  into  Northern  Nigeria  is  con- 
cerned, a good  deal  is  smuggled  over  the  border  all  along  the 
boundary  line,  and  even  up  the  Niger,  as  I know  myself  from 
experience  at  Lokoja ; and  it  seems  rather  absurd  that,  since  there 
are  profits,  the  traders  should  reap  them  instead  of  the  Govern- 
ment, especially  as  a good  deal  of  the  stuff  would  not  be  used  for 
consumption  at  all,  but  for  currency  as  in  Southern  Nigeria.  But 
when  the  liquor  is  consumed  the  object  is  not  necessarily  evil,  for 
Sir  Harry  Johnston  says  that  the  use  of  trade-gin  in  the  interior 
of  Liberia,  as  in  other  parts  of  West  Africa,  seems  to  be  much 
more  medicinal  than  anything  else. 

The  Mohammedans  as  a whole  would  be  against  the  introduc- 
tion of  liquor,  in  theory  at  any  rate,  but  all  are  not  alike,  for 
though  very  strict  in  many  parts,  in  others  their  influence  in  this 
respect  seems  to  be  negligible.  The  Sa(r)rikin  Jemaa  thought 
himself  very  strict,  and  was  always  lecturing  his  son,  the  Mada(i)ki, 
who  was  often  drunk,  but  even  he  seemed  to  have  a good  many 
colds  which  could  be  cured  only  by  frequent  doses  of  whisky. 

244 


FOOD  AND  DRINK 

I soon  got  tired  of  being  his  doctor,  and  after  about  the  tenth 
time  sent  him  a couple  of  pills  instead,  and  these  I suppose  cured 
him — ^at  least  he  had  no  more  of  those  peculiar  colds.  Jemaan 
Daroro  was  a very  drunken  and  immoral  place,  and  I fear  that 
the  principal  cause  was  the  fact  that  carriers  employed  by 
Europeans  were  passing  through  continually  with  too  much 
money  to  spend.  That,  I think,  is  the  worst  aspect  of  our 
administration  ; we  overpay  all  the  natives  so  greatly  that  they 
always  have  plenty  to  spend  on  vice,  and  since  there  is  a demand, 
and  at  a high  price,  a supply  is  soon  found. 

Every  compound  has  its  own  storehouses,  some  of  which  are 
built  inside  the  houses,  some  outside,  and  the  wife  in  charge  of 
each  house  looks  after  the  food  supplies  of  her  own  particular 
progeny.  Cooking  is  done  by  the  women  in  the  courtyard  between 
the  houses,  which  is  always  in  the  shape  of  an  irregular  circle,  the 
doors  of  each  house  opening  towards  the  centre. 

Men  and  women  eat  their  food  separately.  In  the  case  of  the 
former,  four  or  more  sit  round  a calabash  or  two  (one  containing 
the  porridge,  the  other  the  soup  or  meat),  and  each  man  dips  in 
one  hand  and  scoops  out  a handful  in  turn ; they  say  that  they 
use  spoons,  or  in  their  absence  the  right  hand  only,  for  this  pur- 
pose, but  both  statements  are  only  partially  true,  if  indeed  there 
is  any  rule  in  the  matter  at  all,  for  I have  seen  them  act  other- 
wise. The  women  are  less  sociable,  or,  rather,  are  more  strictly 
controlled,  for  after  having  given  the  men  their  food  they  retire 
into  their  houses,  and  each  woman  eats  with  her  own  daughters 
and  young  sons  if  she  has  any,  otherwise  alone. 

The  blood  of  slaughtered  beasts  is  caught  in  a calabash,  and 
is  then  cooked  with  the  fat  from  the  region  of  the  stomach, 
and  eaten  hot.  The  Hausawa  let  theirs  get  cold,  and  sell  it 
in  the  markets  cut  into  cubes  like  loaf-sugar — and  a filthy  sweet- 
meat it  looks.  But  after  all,  sausages  of  pig’s  blood  are  eaten 
in  England ! The  head-hunting  tribes  have  no  markets,  the 
nearest  approach  to  anything  of  the  kind  being  an  exchange  by 
traders  who  are  usually  under  the  protection  of  the  chief  at  first, 
if  of  any  one ; they  sleep  in  his  compound,  or  in  a special  house 
allotted  to  them  by  him,  and  may  barter  some  of  their  wares  in 

245 


FOOD  AND  DRINK 


his  compound  before  their  departure  next  day.  When  the  district 
has  become  quite  pacified,  or  the  traders  have  become  friendly 
with  other  members  of  the  tribe,  they  have  greater  freedom,  both 
in  their  business  and  in  their  place  of  residence  and  length  of 
sojourn,  and  as  a desire  for  strange  articles  usually  springs  up 
very  quickly  in  the  human  breast,  the  traders  are  made  welcome. 
Still,  there  are  exceptions,  for  even  friendly  and  quiet  tribes  may 
misbehave  occasionally — two  Jemaan  Daroro  men  being  murdered 
after  I had  arrested  the  chief  of  Ambel,  it  will  be  remembered — 
or  conservatives  like  the  Kagoro  may  refuse  to  develop  new  tastes, 
and  in  those  cases  even  the  ubiquitous  Hausa  does  not  make  much 
headway.  In  England,  too,  the  foreign  merchants  were  once  the 
special  care  of  the  king,  and  a good  deal  of  the  special  law  and 
speedy  method  of  justice  applicable  to  them  can  still  be  traced  in 
our  legal  system,  for  the  English  king  protected  them  from  his 
subjects  in  order  that  he  himself  might  plunder  them  all  the  more 
successfully. 

And  the  mention  of  England  has  made  me  remember  how 
delicious  the  fresh  bread  and  butter  taste  in  this  country,  especially 
after  the  sodden  loaves  and  rancid  grease  (the  Hausawa  are  right 
in  calling  the  local  butter  by  this  name)  of  West  Africa.  The 
beef  also  is  good,  very  good,  perhaps  the  best  in  the  world ; but  I 
have  never  yet  tasted  a saddle  of  mutton  that  could  equal  those 
of  my  own  country,  Australia. 

Honey,  water,  and  millet  flour  is  a favourite  drink,  its  Hausa 
name  of  buza  being  rather  suggestive,  and  palm -wine  is  drunk  to 
some  extent,  but  the  best  appreciated  liquor,  and  the  one  which 
is  the  most  important  ceremonially,  is  a beer  made  from  guinea- 
corn,  called  akann  by  the  Kagoro  and  pito  by  us. 

The  method  of  making  the  first  is  as  follows.  Water  and 
honey  are  boiled  up  together,  and  are  then  left  to  cool,  after 
which  flour  is  added,  and  the  mixture  is  well  stirred.  When 
this  has  been  done  the  liquor  is  poured  off  into  pots  which  are 
closed  with  small  calabashes  or  other  articles,  and  mud  is 
plastered  over  the  points  of  contact,  to  make  the  whole  air- 
tight. The  pots  are  then  placed  near  the  fire,  and  after  having 
been  warmed  for  two  or  three  days  the  liquor  will  be  ready  for 

246 


FOOD  AND  DRINK 


drinking.  Palm-wine  is,  of  course,  obtained  from  one  or  other 
of  the  palm  trees  in  the  vicinity,  and  for  this  an  incision  is  made 
near  the  top  of  the  tree,  and  a pot  with  a narrow  neck  is  placed 
underneath,  the  stream  being  guided  to  it  by  a short,  hollow  stick 
of  bamboo.  The  Kagoro  say  that  if  the  pots  be  closed  up  the 
wine  can  be  kept  for  a month,  but  I have  never  known  any 
native  to  keep  it  for  more  than  a day,  and  I do  not  think  that 
any  head-hunter  in  this  part  would  be  able  to  set  such  an  example 
of  abstinence.  When  freshly  drawn,  palm-wine  is  very  refreshing, 
reminding  me  of  Chile  beer,  though  without  being  so  sweet  or  so 
hot  as  that  beverage,  but  when  it  is  stale  it  is  rather  bitter  and 
sour,  and  leaves  anything  but  a pleasant  taste  in  the  mouth 
afterwards. 

Akann  is  prepared  by  soaking  guinea-corn  in  water  for  a 
couple  of  days ; after  that  it  is  poured  into  pots  which  are  closed 
up  with  leaves  of  a tree  resembling  the  banana,  and  left  from  five 
to  six  days,  and,  when  thoroughly  dry,  it  is  ground  and  put  by. 
When  the  feast  is  some  three  days  off,  water  is  filtered  through 
the  flour  into  pots,  where  it  is  boiled  for  two  days,  and,  after 
having  been  left  to  cool  for  a night,  it  is  ready  for  drinking,  heated 
stones  being  perhaps  dipped  into  the  liquid  to  make  it  ferment. 

I do  not  think  any  offerings  are  made  of  ordinary  food — beer, 
flesh,  and  blood  being  the  only  delicacies  favoured  by  the  spirits 
apparently,  but  the  Hausas  always  spit  out  some  of  the  kola-nut 
on  to  the  ground  as  an  offering.  This  probably  corresponds 
to  European  practices,  for  in  Germany  up  to  the  end  of  the 
eighteenth  century  some  of  the  porridge  from  the  table  was 
thrown  into  the  fire,  and  some  into  running  water,  some  was 
buried  in  the  earth,  and  some  smeared  on  leaves  and  put  on  the 
chimney-top  for  the  winds.  Relics  of  this  ancient  sacrifice  can  be 
found  in  Scandinavia  to-day  according  to  Professor  Tylor ; French- 
women throw  away  a spoonful  of  milk  or  bouillon,  and  German 
topers  say  that  heel-taps  are  a devil’s  offering.  Possibly  our 
custom  of  leaving  something  on  the  plate  “for  manners”  has 
a similar  origin. 

There  seem  to  be  no  restrictions  on  the  amount  or  the  kind 
of  food  eaten  by  adults  or  children,  or  by  males  and  females, 

247 


FOOD  AND  DRINK 


except  with  regard  to  fowls  and  dogs ; each  person  seems  to  eat 
as  much  as  he  can  get,  whenever  he  can  get  it. 

The  Hausawa  introduced  the  tobacco,  as  the  name  shows  ( taba 
in  both  languages),  but  now  a little  is  grown  by  the  Kagoro 
themselves  and  by  other  head-hunters,  and  I saw  quite  extensive 
fields  of  it  on  the  Kamerun  boundary  to  the  south  of  the  Muri 
province  in  1907. 

The  Kagoro  and  even  the  Jemaan  Daroro  people  smoke  it 
with  ash  of  atcha , or  with  potash,  not  only  to  make  it  go  further, 
but  to  improve  its  flavour,  though  the  smoke  from  potash  would 
be  extremely  unpleasant,  I should  think.  Pipes  are  made  of  wood 
or  metal,  the  former  being  carved  by  themselves ; but  the  latter 
are  bought  from  blacksmiths,  and  are  very  ill-balanced  and 
unsatisfactory  to  all  appearances.  All  pipes  are  passed  from 
mouth  to  mouth.  Some  of  the  Jaba  wooden  pipes  are  a yard 
in  length,  and  have  two  wooden  legs,  a couple  of  inches  long, 
below  the  bowl,  to  rest  on  the  ground.  A greater  quantity  of 
tobacco  is  said  to  be  smoked  at  beer-feasts  than  at  other  times, 
but  I could  not  hear  of  any  peculiar  rites,  though  women  are  not 
supposed  to  smoke. 

Tobacco  is  also  snuffed  as  a remedy  for  headache,  and  coils 
of  the  fragrant  weed  are  used  to  cure  other  ills  and  grievances, 
for  they  are  one  of  the  various  forms  of  currency  in  the  district — 
and  money  is  a wonderful  medicine. 


248 


CHAPTER  XIX 


MUSIC  AND  DANCING 

I HEARD  only  one  Kagoro  song — this  particular  ditty  came 
originally  from  the  Attakka,  I believe — it  being  sung  by  a 
youth  who  walked  past  my  tent  accompanying  himself  on  a 
reed  auto-harp.  The  words,  as  usual,  referred  to  events  which  one 
expects  in  a problem-play.  These  auto-harps  are  common  in  the 


• zjz5>ij 

==(==4= 

=4=1- T: 

^yz_o 

• ” — i ^ -i  —1—1 

• _^z:i : 

eastern  part  of  Northern  Nigeria.  I have  seen  them  at  A mar 
(Muri)  as  well  as  in  Jemaan  Daroro.  They  are  made  of  stiff 
reeds  some  eighteen  inches  in  length,  placed  side  by  side,  and 
fixed  in  position  by  being  plaited  with  smaller  strips  of  the  same 
material.  From  each  reed  three  strips  are  cut,  but  only  partially, 
in  order  to  leave  them  still  adhering  at  each  end,  and  these  strips 
form  the  strings.  They  are  separated  from  the  reeds  by  a bridge 
at  each  end,  and  may  be  bound  around  with  finer  strips,  these 
resembling  the  bass  wires  of  a piano,  while  by  sliding  separate 
rings  of  the  same  material  up  and  down,  the  strings  could  be 
tuned.  The  plaiting  is  carried  right  round  to  the  back  of  the 
auto-harp  so  as  to  make  a kind  of  stiff  bag,  and  this,  which  forms 
the  sounding-board,  is  filled  with  seeds,  the  player  shaking  the 
instrument  to  make  them  rattle  while  he  is  twanging  the  strings. 
A skilful  musician  can  get  quite  a pretty  melody  out  of  it,  but  I 
could  not  manage  to  do  so,  although  I could  play  an  ordinary 
auto-harp. 

The  Kagoro,  and  many  others  also,  make  flutes  from  guinea- 
corn  stalks,  the  notes  being  pure  and  liquid  in  some  cases.  I 
heard  only  one  tune  in  Fada  Kagoro,  and  it  was  played  in  thirds 
and  fifths,  but  whether  by  one  or  two  musicians  I cannot  say,  for 
I did  not  see  them.  I should  think,  however,  that  there  must 

249 


MUSIC  AND  DANCING 

have  been  two,  for  on  all  the  other  occasions  I have  heard  these 
flutes  only  one  note  has  been  played  at  a time. 


At  Mersa,  a Kajji  town,  I saw  (and  heard)  a dance  on  three 
occasions,  two  being  for  my  own  benefit,  and  one  for  that  of  a 
chief  whom  I had  just  appointed.  One  Sunday  morning  two  of 
us  were  encamped  in  the  town,  and  while  drowsing  in  our  tents 
(I  always  believe  in  taking  it  easy  on  that  day  if  possible,  else 
one  is  stale  all  the  week)  we  heard  sounds  like  those  of  an  organ 
in  the  distance,  and,  between  sleeping  and  waking,  the  mosquito 
curtain  became  a wall  paper,  and  I imagined  myself  in  some  beauti- 
ful country  village  on  a summer’s  morning,  listening  dreamily  to  a 
voluntary  being  played  in  a church  next  door.  ...  I think  that 
I must  have  settled  down  for  another  sleep,  when  I was  rudely 
brought  back  to  West  Africa  by  a Bature , ba , lea  tashi  yaw  ba  ? 
(“  O Whiteman,  are  you  not  going  to  get  up  to-day  ? ”),  and  I 
saw  at  my  side  the  black  face  of  my  boy  with  anxiety  written  all 
over  it — not  on  account  of  my  health,  be  it  understood,  but 
because  he  wished  to  get  his  work  done.  That,  of  course,  dis- 
pelled the  illusion,  and  I had  to  get  up,  for  I always  try  to  be 
punctual,  even  on  Sundays  within  limits,  for  after  all  one  must 
consider  the  dependents  to  some  extent ; they  have  no  chance 
of  working  satisfactorily  for  an  unpunctual  master. 

I found  out  afterwards  that  there  was  a funeral  a couple  of 
miles  off,  and  as  the  concluding  ceremonies  had  then  taken  place, 
I had  missed  a chance  of  seeing  them,  but  when  I visited  the 
place  again,  I ordered  the  chief  to  have  a special  performance  for 
my  benefit,  and  this,  of  course,  he  did. 

The  band  first  arrived  and  placed  themselves  in  a circle,  the 
instruments  being  a big  drum,  a small  one,  and  several  curved 
horns  of  the  antelope  from  two  to  three  feet  long,  each  having  a 
hole  in  one  side  near  the  point,  converting  it  into  the  mouth- 
piece, and  some  eight  to  twelve  inches  of  hollow  gourd  fastened 

250 


Music  hath  Charms  ! ! ! 

A Head-hunters’  orchestra.  The  attitude  of  the  musicians  seems  to  have  a great  effect  on  the  notes  produced  ; after  a little  while 
all  are  pouring  with  perspiration.  The  hut  on  the  right  was  built  specially  for  me,  and  is  in  the  Hausa  style. 


MUSIC  AND  DANCING 


to  the  other  end  to  lengthen  it.  The  big  drum  resembled  those 
used  by  us,  though  it  was  only  about  one-quarter  the  size,  but 
the  smaller  one  may  have  a skin  large  enough  to  be  beaten  on 
one  side  only,  the  body  coming  almost  to  a point  underneath — 
resembling  a true  kettledrum,  in  fact — or  else  it  may  be  a tom- 
tom with  sides  straight  or  curved  like  an  hour-glass.  The  latter 
is  furnished  with  strings  connecting  the  two  rounds  of  parchment, 
pressure  on  which  will  alter  the  note,  and  these  drums  are,  there- 
fore, particularly  useful  for  signalling  purposes. 


$ 


1- 


* * 


| | , 

; r — 1 

| - 

| 1 

! * • 

I 


3^ 


D— 4=A 


A few  of  the  players  performed  solos  on  their  horns,  and  got 
sounds  resembling  those  of  a violin  out  of  them,  so  close  were  the 
intervals,  though  a French  horn  would,  on  the  whole,  represent 
the  tone  better.  While  playing,  a soloist  would  go  through  the 
most  extraordinary  contortions,  turning  himself  almost  inside  out 
in  his  anxiety  to  reach  the  right  note,  so  after  about  a quarter  of 
an  hour  most  of  them  were  bathed  in  perspiration.  Music  is 
evidently  a serious  business  with  them,  and  not  to  be  lightly 
undertaken.  After  standing  in  a circle  for  some  time,  the  band 
goes  through  a few  simple  evolutions,  the  big  drummer  advancing 
towards  the  centre  and  then  marching  around  a few  times,  being 
followed  by  the  side-drummer  and  horn-players  in  turn,  and  all 
halt  in  front  of  the  person  especially  honoured,  and  kneel  to 
receive  his  reward.  They  never  forget  that  part,  and  quite 
rightly  too. 

There  were  no  words  to  this  Kajji  music,  but  soon  the  people 
began  to  be  excited  by  the  wild  harmonies,  and  joined  in, 
marching  round  and  round  the  band,  taking  three  steps  forward, 

251 


MUSIC  AND  DANCING 


and  then  one  backwards.  The  older  men  and  women  danced 
singly,  and  though  the  men  simply  walked  sedately,  it  was 
amusing  to  see  the  contrast  between  them  and  their  partners 
of  the  weaker  sex,  who  took  quite  a pride  in  their  movements, 
balancing  themselves  with  their  hands  out  while  stepping  back- 
wards and  forwards,  and  enjoying  themselves  to  the  utmost.  A 
specially  good  dancer  may  perform  a pas  seul , and  one,  in  doing 
so,  became  so  much  excited  that  she  rushed  to  where  I was  sitting 
and  tried  to  put  her  arms  around  me,  greatly  to  the  amusement 
of  the  onlookers.  She  almost  took  me  by  surprise,  and  I only 
escaped  by  putting  up  my  feet,  and  by  waving  my  stick  at  her. 
And  lest  this  should  seem  ungallant,  let  me  say  I did  not  relish 
the  idea  of  having  clean  ducks  ruined  by  a mixture  of  perspira- 
tion and  red  earth  with  which  she  had  made  herself  beautiful  for 
the  occasion.  However,  a dip  into  my  bag  of  “ tenths  ” (nickel 
coins,  ten  to  a penny)  satisfied  her,  and  she  was  as  gay  as  ever 
a minute  afterwards,  threatening  others  with  like  favours  (or 
penalties)  unless  bought  off  with  similar  bribes. 

Young  people  dance  in  twos  and  threes,  or  even  in  fours,  one 
walking  close  behind  the  other,  and  catching  hold  under  the  arms 
of  the  person  in  front,  and  all  keeping  exact  time.  Mothers  may 
dance  singly  and  carry  their  babies  behind  on  their  backs  or  on 
their  shoulders  while  doing  so,  and  most  of  the  women  wag  their 
tongues  from  side  to  side  and  squeal  while  dancing,  this  sound, 
which  is  also  used  as  an  alarm  on  account  of  its  piercing  qualities, 
being  known  to  the  Hausawa  as  Kururua. 

The  dance,  like  the  music,  is  also  a solemn  performance,  and 
though  the  people  get  worked  up  after  a while,  the  exercise  is  not 
violent  nor  joyous,  and  there  seems  to  be  no  pleasure  in  either  as 
we  would  regard  it.  Still,  many  do  become  excited,  and  no 
doubt  there  is  some  underlying  motive  which  is  not  apparent 
to  the  ordinary  observer,  probably  connected  with  religion,  the 
notes  and  steps  having  a special  significance  understood  only  by 
the  natives  themselves.  The  fact  that  the  music  and  dancing  also 
form  part  of  the  funeral  rites  lends  weight  to  this  supposition, 
and  it  should  not  be  a strange  one  to  us,  for  dancing  has  long 
been  known  as  a religious  rite.  It  is,  therefore,  rather  amusing 

252 


her  tongue  quickly  from  side  to  side,  and  squealing. 


MUSIC  AND  DANCING 


to  hear  clergymen  denouncing  it,  though,  of  course,  in  many  cases 
the  present  form  bears  but  little  resemblance  to  the  old,  where 
(except  in  the  case  of  the  Jews,  who  were  naked  before  the  golden 
calf)  the  sexes  danced  apart. 

Dancing  has  been  known  from  early  antiquity.  The  Bible 
mentions  it  repeatedly,  for  the  Jews  indulged  in  it  when  they 
emerged  from  the  Red  Sea,  and  also  when  they  made  the  golden 
calf.  The  young  maids  of  Shiloh  were  thus  occupied  in  the  fields 
when  surprised  and  carried  oft'  by  the  youths  of  the  tribe  of 
Benjamin,  and  David  44  danced  before  the  Lord  with  all  his 
might.”  In  fact,  we  are  told  in  the  last  Psalm  to  praise  God 
44  with  timbrel  and  dance,”  and  we  sing  that  still.  In  all  these 
cases  the  dance  was  an  expression  of  praise  and  thanksgiving,  and 
there  are  modern  instances  of  its  use  for  religious  purposes,  the 
Danse  Macabre , or  Dance  of  Death,  being,  according  to  Professor 
Tylor,  a kind  of  pious  pantomime  of  death  performed  in  churches 
during  the  fifteenth  century.  The  reason  for  the  (name  was  that 
the  rite  of  the  Mass  for  the  Dead  was  distinguished  by  the  reading 
of  the  portion  in  Book  II.  of  the  Maccabees,  which  refers  to  the 
prayer  of  the  people  that  the  sins  of  those  who  had  been  slain 
among  them  might  be  blotted  out.  Every  year,  in  the  parish 
church  of  Musgrave,  in  Westmorland,  there  is  a dance  which  is 
performed  by  twelve  young  maidens,  chosen  by  the  vicar,  who  are 
adorned  with  garlands  of  flowers.  Led  by  a band,  they  dance  to 
the  church,  where  they  hang  their  garlands,  which  are  to  be  left 
there  till  the  following  year,  and,  after  prayers  and  lessons,  more 
dancing  is  indulged  in,  even  in  the  church  itself.  And  such  scenes 
are  frequently  seen  in  continental  cities,  the  ballet  performed 
in  the  Seville  Cathedral,  during  the  Corpus  Christi  festival,  by 
boys,  dressed,  in  ancient  costumes,  being  perhaps  the  most 
notable. 

Sometimes  there  is  a medicinal  virtue  in  the  ceremony,  for 
in  Southern  India  and  Ceylon  the  devil-dancers  work  themselves 
into  paroxysms  so  as  to  obtain  the  inspiration  necessary  to  cure 
their  patients,  and  others  practise  divination  and  give  oracles 
while  in  this  condition.  A Highland  shepherd  of  Strathspey  is 
related  to  have  had  such  healing  powers,  he  having  cured  his  own 

253 


MUSIC  AND  DANCING 

mistress  by  dancing  a reel  with  her,  and  afterwards  many  of  the 
humbler  patients  by  whom  he  was  continually  besieged,  and, 
scorning  to  belittle  his  powers  in  any  way,  he,  with  the  usual 
Scotch  forethought,  managed  to  die  a rich  man. 

I am  not  quite  sure  under  what  category  the  Bori  dancing  of 
the  Hausas  should  come,  the  meaning  given  to  bori  in  Canon 
Robinson’s  Dictionary  being  “ an  evil  spirit,”  “ a demon,”  or  u a 
delirious  person.”  But  it  may  mean  rather  the  rites  and  cere- 
monies of  a certain  sect  or  society,  the  members  of  which — the 
Masubori , as  they  are  called — simulate  the  behaviour  of  insane 
persons,  and  the  condition  of  frenzy  into  which  they  are  thrown. 
I think  myself  that  “ hallucination  ” is  a satisfactory  equivalent. 

Bori  dancing  is  said  by  Dr.  Alexander  to  have  originated  in 
the  Hausa  States,  at  some  time  previous  to  the  introduction  of 
Islam.  At  first  it  was  a treatment  for  the  insane,  but  later  on, 
it  was  degraded  into  the  teaching  and  practice  of  an  objection- 
able form  of  dancing,  though  the  origin  was  still  apparent,  since 
the  actions  of  the  dance  simulated  different  forms  of  insanity. 
One  of  his  informants  told  him  that  Bori  first  appeared  in  a 
small  village  at  the  foot  of  a hill  near  to  Bebeji,  on  the  Zaria- 
Kano  road,  but  another  held  that  it  was  started  in  Jega,  a town 
near  Kano,  on  the  Sokoto  road.  At  any  rate  Gorje,  the  present 
head  of  all  the  Masubori  (the  Sa(r)rikin  Bori ) now  lives  at  Jega, 
and  all  the  Bori  heads,  on  appointment  as  such,  go  there  also. 

The  following  are  the  different  kinds  or  divisions  of  Bori , 
each  simulating  some  kind  of  insanity,  and  every  Maibori 
(“  actor  ” or  “ dancer,”  or  “ person  possessed  ”),  who  may  be 
either  a male  or  a female,  in  most  cases  will  profess  one  or 
more : — 

(1)  Bori  Dan  Sa(r)riki  (“Hallucination  of  being  a Prince”). 
The  principal  actor  does  not  dance,  but  remains  seated,  crying 
because  his  supposed  father  has  not  given  him  a present,  or  a 
“ dash  ” (from  the  Dutch  dasje , “ a small  piece  of  cloth  ”),  as  the 
expression  is.  The  other  Masubori  salute  him  as  a son  of  a chief, 
stand  when  he  stands,  and  pay  him  the  other  usual  marks  of 
respect. 

(2)  Bori  Sa{r)rikin  Rafi  (“Hallucination  of  being  Head  of 

254 


MUSIC  AND  DANCING 

the  River,”  i.e.  Chief  of  the  Fishermen,  Boatmen,  &c.).  He 
pretends  to  be  spearing  fish  all  the  time.  We  know  of  anglers 
even  in  England — well,  perhaps  there  is  no  connection. 

(3)  Bori  Dan  Ga(l)ladima  (“Hallucination  of  being  a Prince”). 
He  is  the  highest  judge  of  the  sect,  appeals  being  brought  to  him 
from  the  Court  of  the  Wanzami.  If  he  agrees  with  the  decision 
of  the  latter,  he  remains  seated ; if  not,  he  jumps  up  and  falls 
down  three  times,  and  then  he  gives  his  decision.  These  first 
three  are  the  highest  in  the  order,  and  are  treated  by  other 
members  of  the  sect  as  if  they  were  really  what  they  pretended 
to  be. 

(4)  Bori  Wanzami  (“  Hallucination  of  being  a Barber  ”).  He 
does  not  dance,  but  pretends  to  be  sharpening  his  knife  or  razor, 
and  to  be  shaving  the  head  of  the  Dan  Ga(l)ladima.  He  is  the 
Alkalin-bori  (“Judge  of  the  sect,”  the  word  “Alkalin”  being 
really  al  kadi  na),  and  is  consulted  by  the  members,  all  of  whom 
respect  his  decisions. 

(5)  Bori  Kure  (“  Hallucination  of  being  a Hyena  ”).  He 
goes  on  all-fours,  and  pretends  to  be  looking  for  goats — which, 
with  the  dogs,  are  the  natural  prey  of  that  beast. 

(6)  Bori  Mallam,  Alliaji  (“Hallucination  of  being  a Learned 
Man  and  a Pilgrim  ”).  He  is  present  at  all  marriages  within  the 
sect.  He  pretends  to  be  old  and  shaky,  and  to  be  counting  his 
beads  with  the  right  hand,  and  to  be  looking  at  a book  supposed 
to  be  held  in  his  left,  coughing  weakly  all  the  time. 

(7)  Bori  Bebe  (“  Hallucination  of  being  a Deaf  Mute  ”).  He 
sits  alone,  with  tears  running  down  his  cheeks,  but  makes  no 
sound. 

(8)  Bori  Sa{r)rikin  Filani  (“  Hallucination  of  being  a Chief  of 
the  Filani  ”).  He  goes  round  with  his  staff*  counting  his  imagi- 
nary heads  of  cattle,  and  then  presents  himself  to  the  Dan 
Ga(l)ladima. 

(9)  Bori  Gwari  (“  Hallucination  of  being  a Gwari  Man  ”) 
He  wanders  about,  carrying  a load  of  rubbish  on  his  back,  after 
the  manner  of  the  members  of  this  pagan  tribe,  whose  country  is 
to  the  south-west  of  Zaria. 

(10)  Bori  Sa{r)rikin  Bakka  (“Hallucination  of  being  a Chief 

255 


MUSIC  AND  DANCING 

of  the  Bow,”  i.e.  a Principal  Huntsman).  He  moves  about  as  if 
stalking  and  shooting  game. 

(11)  Bori  Tsuguna  (“  Hallucination  of  Squatting”).  He  lies 
on  the  ground,  according  to  Dr.  Alexander.  It  may  be  that  he 
imagines  himself  to  be  a dog  or  a monkey,  both  of  which  are 
known  as  “ squatters,”  probably  the  former,  considering  the  next 
division.  Thus  a proverb  goes,  “ The  squatting  is  not  finished  if 
you  buy  a monkey  when  you  sell  your  dog,”  i.e.  the  matter  is  not 
to  be  settled  in  that  way. 

(12)  Bori  Birri  (“Hallucination  of  being  a Monkey”).  He 
climbs  trees  like  this  animal. 

(13)  Bori  Aradu.  It  is  rather  difficult  to  render  Bori  by 
“ hallucination  ” here,  so  perhaps  I am  wrong.  I rather  think, 
though,  that  some  word  is  understood,  and  that  the  person 
imagines  himself  either  to  cause  the  thunderstorm  ( Aradu ) or 
to  be  the  spirit  of  it,  for  he  gets  into  the  possessed  state  only 
during  a storm. 

(14)  Bori  Kaikai.  This  might  also  be  explained  in  a similar 
way,  kaikai  meaning  “ the  itch.”  The  person  is  always  scratching 
his  body. 

(15)  and  (16)  The  Bori  Kuruma  and  the  Bori  Inna  both 
pretend  that  they  are  afflicted,  the  former  with  deafness,  the 
latter  with  some  other  defect,  perhaps  stuttering. 

(17)  Bori  Mai  Jan  Chikki  (“  Hallucination  of  being  the 
drawer  along  of  the  Stomach”).  He  crawls  with  his  belly  on 
the  ground,  like  a snake. 

(18)  Bori  Mai  Jan  Rua  (“  Hallucination  of  having  red  Water,” 
or  else,  “ of  bringing  up  water  ”).  He  behaves  as  if  he  had  fever, 
and  is  covered  with  a black  cloth,  which  is  flapped  to  and  fro  to 
fan  him.  Under  this  treatment  his  stomach  gradually  swells,  and 
eventually  he  vomits  and  then  recovers. 

(19)  Bori  Kuturu  (“Hallucination  of  being  a Leper”).  He 
sits  like  a leprotic  beggar,  and  hides  his  legs,  pretending  that 
they  have  been  amputated  at  the  knee-joint.  His  fingers  are  also 
contracted  like  those  of  a leper,  and  he  holds  his  cap  in  one  hand, 
begging  for  money. 

(20)  Bori  Janjare  or  Janzirri.  I am  not  quite  sure  of  the 

256 


MUSIC  AND  DANCING 

meaning  of  this.  Canon  Robinson  gives  the  meaning  of  janzirri 
as  44  an  evil  spirit.”  I rather  think  that  the  word  is  a corruption 
of  hanzirri , 44  a hog,”  especially  considering  the  habits  of  this 
animal.  Dr.  Alexander  says  that  this  is  the  worst  form  of  Bori , 
and  is  almost  akin  to  insanity.  If  not  forcibly  prevented,  the 
person  possessed  will  rush  round  looking  for  all  kinds  of  filth,  and 
eating  it,  also  rubbing  the  body  with  it,  though  an  onion  pushed 
into  the  mouth  at  once  is  said  to  be  an  effectual  cure.  Perhaps 
it  ought  to  be  noted  that  some  of  the  ingredients  of  the  medicine 
for  small-pox  are  very  nauseating,  at  any  rate  in  Jemaan  Daroro, 
and  that  many  people  will  rub  dirt  on  their  bodies  to  make  them- 
selves repulsive — especially  women  when  afraid  of  capture — so  the 
idea  is  not  so  horrible  to  the  Hausa  as  it  is  to  us. 

(21)  Bori  Bardi  (44  Hallucination  of  being  an  important 
person,”  perhaps  from  the  word  meaning  44  cavalry  ”).  He  is 
always  in  the  forefront  of  the  dancers. 

After  the  conquest  of  the  Hausa  States  by  the  Mohammedan 
Eilani,  at  the  beginning  of  last  century,  Bori  was  forbidden  in 
the  large  cities.  But  though  any  one  practising  it  was  severely 
flogged  for  a first  offence,  and  perhaps  put  to  death  for  a second, 
it  still  flourished  in  the  smaller  towns  and  villages.  Later  on,  it 
was  recognised  and  tolerated  even  in  the  cities,  for  a special  tax 
on  the  Masubori  was  levied  annually,  the  amount  ranging  from 
5000  to  200,000  cowries  for  each  town,  the  value  of  the  cowrie 
varying  from  4000  to  one  shilling  in  Ilorin  to  about  one  quarter 
of  that  number  in  Bornu.  It  is  not  quite  certain  who  reaped 
the  benefit  of  this  tax,  but  probably  it  was  divided  amongst  the 
chiefs  and  headmen,  and  was  more  in  the  nature  of  a bribe 
to  ignore  the  practices  than  a properly  authorised  source  of 
revenue.  After  our  occupation,  it  developed  a more  legal 
form,  but  serious  steps  are  now  being  taken  to  abolish  the  per- 
formances. 

It  is  amongst  the  Hausa,  Nupe,  and  Egbirra  people  that  Bori 
is  held  most  in  favour.  There  is  another  kind  also,  called 
Kwaga,  amongst  the  Kanuri  of  Bornu,  which  seems  to  be  purely 
a state  of  hysteria  in  some  cases,  of  fever  or  other  sickness 

257  e 


MUSIC  AND  DANCING 

due  to  exposure  in  others,  the  attack  being  described  as  com- 
mencing with  a fit  of  shivering,  after  which  the  skin  becomes 
hot,  especially  in  the  case  of  one  who  has  sat  under  a tree,  or  near 
to  water,  where  a bad  spirit  lives.  A case  illustrating  this  came 
to  Dr.  Alexander’s  notice,  a soldier’s  wife  being  admitted  to 
hospital  with  a temperature  of  103*6°.  The  woman’s  eyes  were 
staring,  and  she  pretended  at  first  to  be  unable  to  speak, 
although  quite  conscious  of  what  was  said  to  her.  The  fit 
passed  away  very  quickly  after  her  admission,  and  her  tempera- 
ture yielded  to  the  usual  quinine  treatment  for  malaria,  so  the 
case  was  diagnosed  as  such.  I was  asked  to  see  a Hausa  woman 
in  Jemaan  Daroro,  who  was  so  badly  possessed  with  Bori  that 
she  could  not  be  brought  out  of  her  fit.  I threatened  her  with 
imprisonment,  for  she  was  shrieking  and  disturbing  the  peace 
generally,  and  there  was  an  immediate  improvement,  so  I have 
no  doubt  that  in  the  Hausa  form  also  hysteria  plays  a great  part. 
At  the  same  time,  I am  far  from  saying  that  the  whole  thing  is  a 
pretence,  in  fact  I am  sure  it  is  not  so. 

Bori  seems  to  have  originated  as  a treatment  for  insanity,  as 
has  been  mentioned  before,  the  idea  being  that  those  who  were 
really  insane  would  be  thereby  less  likely  to  commit  acts  of 
violence.  It  must  be  remembered  that  lunatics  are  never  shut 
up  amongst  these  pagan  peoples,  being  regarded  as  people 
specially  set  apart  by  the  gods.  Extended  study  may  determine 
the  relationship  between  Bori  proper  and  epileptic  fits.  Later 
on  the  treatment  was  adopted  bv  a class  called  Kama  (consisting 
of  males  and  females  who  would  amongst  us  be  called  64  very 
fast  ”)  in  order  to  attract  more  attention.  And  later  still,  young 
children,  generally  girls,  who  were  not  thriving,  or  who  were 
criminally  or  morbidly  inclined,  were  subjected  to  the  influence, 
being  supposed  to  be  possessed  of  some  evil  spirit  which  had  to 
be  exorcised.  To  be  accused  of  Bori , therefore,  is  not  necessarily 
a disgrace,  though  many  men  have  objected  to  their  wives 
practising  it.  Any  one  of  any  age  may  learn  it  on  payment  of 
the  usual  fees,  so  the  right  to  initiation  is  not  hereditary,  i.e.  there 
is  no  strictly  observed  caste  of  Masubori. 

The  initiation,  or  treatment,  may  be  carried  out  at  the  house 

258 


MUSIC  AND  DANCING 

of  the  District  Head  of  the  sect — the  Ajenge — or  even  at  that  of 
the  patient,  except  among  the  Nupe  tribe.  In  addition  to  the 
tuition  fee,  the  amount  of  which  varies  according  to  the  circum- 
stances of  the  candidate,  the  following  are  necessary : — A house 
for  the  sole  use  of  the  initiate  and  tutor,  a shelter  for  the  Maigoge 
(one  of  the  musicians,  as  explained  later),  a large  new  jar,  four 
fowls  (a  white  cock  and  hen,  a red  cock,  and  a black  hen),  money 
for  the  Uwar  Tuo  (literally,  “mother  of  porridge”)  who  supplies 
the  food,  three  grass  mats — one  each  for  the  candidate,  the 
Maigoge , and  the  Uwar  Tuo — one  large  ram,  one  small  black 
he-goat,  one  white  cloth,  and  one  black  cloth. 

Some  days  are  auspicious,  others  not  apparently,  and  so  a 
consultation  takes  place  between  the  Ajenge  and  the  Maigoge  in 
order  to  fix  the  date  (always  a Friday)  on  which  to  commence 
the  treatment.  When  this  has  been  done,  the  Ajenge  goes  alone 
into  the  bush,  and  collects  the  necessary  herbs  and  bark,  the 
number  of  ingredients  varying  from  forty-eight  to  one  hundred 
and  two,  depending  upon  the  season  of  the  year  and  the  part  of 
the  country.  The  Ajenge  returns  the  same  day,  and  keeps  the 
material  collected  in  his  house  for  three  days,  after  which  it  is 
put  out  in  the  sun.  Then  the  bark  is  stripped  off  the  wood,  and 
put  on  one  side,  the  remainder  being  put  into  a new  pot  together 
with  pepper  of  two  kinds,  and  onions,  and  on  this  water  is  poured 
and  left  for  two  days.  The  water  is  then  poured  off,  boiled, 
mixed  with  millet  flour,  and  made  into  a pap,  which  is  put  back 
into  the  pot  and  stirred  up  with  the  medicines  there.  After  two 
days  more  the  treatment  will  begin. 

The  bark,  which  had  been  placed  on  one  side,  is  pounded  up 
in  a mortar,  and  by  a process  of  fanning  is  divided  into  fine  and 
coarse.  The  former  is  given  by  the  Ajenge  to  any  Masubori  who 
may  be  present,  to  be  kept  by  them  for  curing  any  one  possessed 
by  Bori , the  powder  being  placed  on  hot  coal,  when  the  fumes  will 
cause  the  patient  to  sneeze,  and  so  recover.  The  coarse  powder  is 
mixed  with  atcka , and  made  into  a firm  porridge. 

All  is  now  ready,  and  the  candidate  enters  the  house,  clothed 
in  white — the  hairy  parts  of  the  body  being  shaved  in  a man,  the 
hair  being  teased  out  in  a woman — and  accompanied  by  a couple 


MUSIC  AND  DANCING 

of  selected  tutors,  or  perhaps  by  only  one.  The  firm  porridge  is 
emptied  out  on  to  a part  of  the  floor,  and  every  morning  the 
candidate  kneels  and  eats  it,  without  using  the  hands,  and  so 
acquires  the  power  of  being  able  to  fall  without  hurting  himself. 

No  reliable  account  could  be  obtained  of  what  happened  in 
the  house,  nor  of  the  ceremonies  performed  there,  but  there  is 
always  music  outside,  the  Maigoge  and  the  Maikiddan  Kwaria 
playing  until  tired,  and  carrying  on  again  when  rested. 

The  longest  period  of  initiation  is  forty  days  with  all  the 
tribes,  but  the  shortest  time  varies,  being  twenty-five  days 
amongst  the  Egbirra,  ten  amongst  the  Hausawa,  and  as  low 
as  six  amongst  the  Nupe ; but  in  the  case  of  the  last  named,  the 
treatment  takes  place  in  the  bush.  When  it  is  complete,  the 
candidate  is  taken  to  the  bush,  if  not  already  there,  followed 
by  a crowd  of  fully  qualified  Masubori , and  is  led  to  a selected 
tamarind  tree,  the  trunk  of  which  has  been  wrapped  around  with 
the  black  and  white  cloths  before  referred  to,  which  become  later 
the  property  of  the  tutor.  The  small  black  goat  is  killed  near 
the  tree,  the  meat  is  cooked  and  eaten,  and  playing  and  dancing 
go  on  all  the  time  round  the  tree  from  right  to  left.  Then  the 
initiate  is  carried  home,  arms  held  up  in  the  air,  on  the  shoulders 
of  a Maibori , who  receives  a reward  for  his  trouble,  and  more 
dancing  takes  place  near  some  big  tree,  a baobab  if  possible,  and 
the  ceremony  is  complete.  After  that,  the  initiate’s  friends  are 
informed  as  to  the  particular  kind,  and  the  number  of  degrees 
conferred.  The  dancing  round  the  tamarind  and  baobab  trees 
may  be  for  the  object  of  propitiating  the  evil  spirits  which  dwell 
there,  all  Masubori  being  afraid  of  them. 

Every  subdivision  has  its  Sa(r}rikin  Bori , who  may  be  a man 
or  a woman,  elected  by  the  members.  When  the  Masubori  wish 
to  elect  a head  they  give  a present  to  the  chief  of  the  town  in 
which  they  live,  and  he  formally  nominates  the  person  whose 
name  was  given  to  him  at  the  time.  The  Sa(r)rikin  Bori  is 
responsible  for  the  behaviour  of  the  members  under  his  charge, 
the  collection  of  taxes  due  from  them,  &c.,  but  he  is  again  under 
the  Head  of  the  District,  the  Ajenge , who  also  may  be  male  or 
female.  This  person  collects  the  necessary  bark  and  leaves  of 

260 


MUSIC  AND  DANCING 


trees  for  medicines,  and  arranges  for  and  receives  tuition  fees, 
which  are  his  sole  perquisite.  He  carries  a staff,  which  is  stuck 
in  the  ground  when  a performance  is  taking  place,  in  order  to 
keep  off  any  antagonistic  spirits. 

For  the  foregoing,  I am  mainly  indebted  to  the  report  in  The 
Supplement  to  the  Northern  Nigeria  Gazette , for  August  1910,  and 
in  parts  I have  quoted  it  almost  verbatim,  rearranging  the  matter, 
however,  and  adding  a good  many  explanations  where  considered 
necessary.  I have  been  present  at  the  dance  on  a number  of 
occasions,  in  places  as  wide  apart  as  Amar  in  Muri  and  Konta- 
gora,  and  in  all  I have  seen  the  same  performances  were  enacted. 

The  Masubori  squat  round  in  a ring,  the  spectators  standing 
outside.  The  Maigoge  (literally,  “ the  doer  of  rubbing  11),  or 
fiddler,  leads  the  music,  playing  on  an  instrument  resembling 
what  is  popularly  known  as  a Chinese  violin,  of  very  primitive 
construction.  There  may  be  one  or  more  of  these,  and  also  men 
playing  on  other  instruments,  the  chief  of  which  is  the  Maikwaria 
(“the  doer  of  the  calabash11),  who  plays  with  two  short  sticks 
on  an  upturned  gourd  placed  upon  the  ground.  Lastly,  there  is 
the  Dan  Ma‘aba  (“  little  flatterer,11  i.e.  herald),  who  makes  the 
necessary  announcements,  and,  as  he  picks  up  his  living  as  best 
he  can,  he  is  certain  to  be  complimentary.  Every  chief  has  one 
or  more,  and  some  have  dwarfs,  who  correspond  in  some  degree  to 
the  jester  of  ancient  England. 

The  master  of  ceremonies  is  the  Uban  Mufane , who  takes 
all  the.  offerings,  handing  them  afterwards  to  the  Magajia 
(“  Heiress,11  or  “ Princess 11),  who  gives  two-fifths  to  the  musicians, 
and  the  remainder  to  the  dancers.  Another  duty  of  the  Magajia 
is  to  see  that  none  of  the  female  dancers  expose  the  person. 

Some  of  the  dancers  go  round  and  round  in  a circle  until  they 
have  worked  themselves  up  into  a condition  of  hypnotic-like 
unconsciousness,  with  eyes  fixed  and  staring.  Others  accomplish 
the  same  desirable  feat  sitting  down.  Suddenly  one  will  begin 
squealing  or  roaring,  jump  up  in  the  air  and  come  down  flat  on 
the  buttocks,  which  have  probably  been  padded  for  the  occasion 
by  tying  on  extra  clothes  round  the  waist  and  between  the 
legs.  The  buttocks  strike  the  ground  with  violence,  the  women 

261 


MUSIC  AND  DANCING 

especially  being  usually  heavy  for  their  height;  but  the  dancer 
is  not  content  with  this,  she  also  beats  various  parts  of  her  body 
on  the  ground,  and  eventually  passes  into  a state  of  momentary 
insensibility,  after  which  the  normal  condition  is  regained. 

All  deny  that  they  feel  any  pain  when  thus  ill-treating  them- 
selves, but  many  become  greatly  exhausted  in  the  process,  one 
means  of  reviving  them  being  by  pressing  backward  each  uplifted 
arm  some  three  times  in  succession,  though  this  appears  to  be 
mostly  a formal  act.  Another  is  to  pour  kola-nuts  or  cowrie 
shells  into  the  mouth  of  the  performer,  who  does  not  really 
swallow  them,  but  spits  them  out  to  be  collected  and  taken  to  the 
Uban  Mufane.  A mat  is  spread  out  in  front  of  him  or  of  the 
musicians,  or  both,  and  the  onlookers  are  usually  very  generous 
in  their  rewards,  the  gifts  being  poured  into  the  dancer’s  mouth 
when  kneeling  down  in  front  of  a likely  donor  (the  fit  does  not 
seem  to  affect  their  judgment  in  this  respect),  or  by  throwing 
them  on  to  the  mats,  or  anywhere  within  the  ring.  The  dance 
goes  on  until  all  are  exhausted,  or  the  gifts  run  out,  and  then 
comes  the  division  of  the  spoil. 

There  are  many  tunes,  each  form  having  its  special  air,  ac- 
cording to  Dr.  Alexander,  but  the  following  seems  the  principal 
one,  as  I have  heard  it  on  every  occasion.  Our  notation  prevents 
my  giving  it  exactly,  the  “D”  being  as  much  Db  as  Dtf,  and  the 
“ B ” as  much  Bb  as  here  written ; and  another  thing  which  makes 
the  air  difficult  to  write  is  the  fact  that  the  native  violinists  are 
not  particularly  exact  in  their  stopping. 


S5-& — 

1-  fra- 

There  is  a dance  for  women  only  amongst  the  Hausa,  and 
though  they  pretend  to  fall  down,  I doubt  if  there  is  any  con- 
nection between  it  and  Bori.  I have  seen  it  only  twice,  viz.  at 
Jemaan  Daroro,  and  at  a town  three  miles  off,  called  Dangoma, 
during  the  feast  of  Ramadan,  so  the  dance  may  have  a Moham- 
medan origin. 

Women  in  groups  of  four  stand  round  in  a circle,  the  musi- 
cians— drummers  only  in  this  case — standing  or  sitting  outside, 

262 


In  parts  of  Sierra  Leone  can  be  seen  the  “hammock-dance,  really  a series  of  gymnastic  feats  on  a slack  rope. 


MUSIC  AND  DANCING 


One  woman  out  of  every  group  advances,  and  waltzes  twice  round 
the  circle,  then  returning  to  her  companions  and  throwing  herself 
backwards,  but  being  prevented  from  actually  touching  the  ground 
by  the  others,  one  of  whom  catches  an  arm  on  each  side,  the  third 
the  head,  the  dancer  keeping  her  body  quite  stiff.  Some  of  the 
women  fling  themselves  back  with  violence  when  excited,  but  they 
are  seldom  allowed  to  fall  right  down,  although  they  seem  to  like 
going  as  far  as  possible.  After  the  first  has  had  her  turn,  the 
second  does  likewise,  and  when  all  have  finished  they  begin  again ; 
and  the  dance  continues  for  hours  at  a time,  there  being  plenty 
of  other  women  waiting  to  take  the  place  of  any  falling  out 
through  fatigue. 

O O 

As  an  exercise,  too,  dancing  is  not  to  be  despised,  as  any  one 
who  is  out  of  form  or  has  had  much  experience  of  village  hall 
floors  will  know.  The  soldiers  of  Crete  and  Sparta  went  into 
battle  dancing,  and  a few  years  ago  our  Admiralty  (following  the 
example  of  the  United  States  authorities  at  West  Point)  included 
dancing  in  the  curriculum  at  the  Dartmouth  Naval  College,  not 
with  the  idea  of  giving  the  cadets  pleasure,  of  course,  but  for  the 
purpose  of  improving  their  carriage  and  their  health,  many  of 
the  movements  being  really  gymnastics  in  a pleasant  disguise. 
Possibly  the  hammock-dancing  of  Sierra  Leone  should  be  in- 
cluded in  this  class,  the  performer  swinging  himself  on  a ham- 
mock between  two  poles  some  forty  feet  in  height,  and  turning 
himself  over  and  over,  or  balancing  his  body  like  Blondin.  He 
has  to  be  worked  into  a state  resembling  hysteria  before  he  will 
commence  his  performance. 

The  dance  may  portray  incidents  in  history  — we  have  a 
pageant  taking  place  even  at  this  moment — or  it  may  be  em- 
ployed to  represent  special  events,  such  as  a battle.  Takai  is  a 
much  more  sedate  game,  and  is  played  by  both  sexes,  the  males 
being  armed  with  short  sticks.  Half  go  in  one  direction  round 
the  circle,  half  the  other,  and  each  pair  of  players,  as  they 
meet  each  other,  either  hit  each  other’s  sticks  (three  times, 
if  I remember  rightly)  if  they  be  men,  or  clap  hands  if  they  be 
women.  I am  not  sure  what  the  origin  of  the  game  is,  nor 
what  is  its  signification ; I saw  it  only  once,  some  six  years 

263 


MUSIC  AND  DANCING 

ago,  at  a town  between  Zungeru  and  Zaria,  and  I had  no  time 
just  then  to  stay  and  make  inquiries.  It  is  probable  that  it 
represents  a battle,  particularly  as  the  word  takaichi  means 
44  hatred  ” ; or  again,  the  name  may  come  from  taka , 44  to  beat 
down,”  though  the  former  seems  to  be  the  more  likely  derivation. 
At  any  rate,  the  facts  that  the  men  are  armed  while  the  women 
are  not,  and  that  the  parties  coming  in  opposite  directions  attack 
each  other,  are  suggestive  of  some  such  origin  for  the  game. 

Then  again,  dancing,  perhaps  combined  with  singing,  may  be 
employed  as  a means  of  specially  honouring  an  important  person, 
as  in  the  case  of  Jephtha’s  daughter,  and  later  with  Saul  and 
David,  the  mention  of  David’s  ten  thousands  on  that  occasion 
being  the  cause  of  all  the  subsequent  trouble  between  them. 
The  best  known  instance  in  British  West  Africa  is  perhaps  that 
of  the  Ashanti  chiefs,  who  dance  by  themselves,  and  in  silence, 
only  before  the  Governor  or  some  other  high  official.  There  was 
also  the  instance  of  the  Kajji  performance  to  honour  me,  and  it  is 
just  possible  that  the  Toff  chief  performed  his  gymnastics  for  a 
similar  reason.  In  Ilorin  it  was  performed  by  two  Yoruba 
women  after  the  installation  of  the  Baloguns  or  subordinate 
chiefs. 

But  it  is  usually  indulged  in  as  a sign  of  joy  and  gladness, 
and  in  that  signification  it  is  most  familiar  to  us,  though  there  is 
not  any  baser  meaning  amongst  Europeans,  except  in  particular 
forms,  such  as  the  44  Can-Can.”  With  native  tribes,  however, 
there  is  no  doubt  that  such  an  idea  is  often  the  raison  d'etre,  not 
only  in  Biblical  times,  as  in  the  case  of  44  the  children  of  the 
wicked”  in  the  days  of  Job,  and  Salome,  but  even  to-day,  and  I 
saw  one  at  Randa,  a Ninzam  town,  the  meaning  of  which  was  too 
evident  to  be  mistaken,  the  fact  being  worth  mentioning  because 
lascivious  dances  are  seldom  performed  by  men,  especially  when 
alone.  Two  men  had  small  drums,  the  rest,  standing  in  a circle, 
held  short  sticks  in  their  right  hands,  and  after  singing  the 
refrain  several  times,  all  shivered  backwards  and  forwards  in  a 
violent  manner.  They  then  walked  around  the  circle  a couple 
of  times,  afterwards  resuming  their  places,  and  singing  and  acting 
as  before.  Strangely  enough,  the  words  of  one  of  the  two  tunes 

264 


A Ceremonial  Dance 


MUSIC  AND  DANCING 

had  no  very  apparent  connection  with  the  actions,  they  having 
been  learnt  from  the  Mada,  who  had  evidently  got  them  from  the 
Hausawa,  though  the  airs  may  have  been  local.  The  translations 
were,  44  Our  town  is  full  of  young  girls,  the  youths  will  have 
pleasure,’”  and  44  Search  for  the  whiskered  one,  ignore  the  saluta- 
tion.” What  this  latter  means,  I do  not  quite  know,  and  the 
performers  could  not  explain,  but  I think  that  it  signifies  that 
girls  prefer  young  men  to  old,  for  the  Hausawa  (from  whom  the 
words  have  come)  have  another  song,  44 1 do  not  like  a hairy 
person,  the  hairs  prick  me.” 


W~\ 

-t-  e p 

^ P & P-  n 

~ l=t=— = 

l l li 

t---! ! r 

— r— i — 

7Tr*  1 _]  'i  ^ ] I h *1 

m m 4 

r • f 

L 

J is  u V 

Lf  r 

r 

Another  Hausa  song  and  dance  I noted  in  Jemaan  Daroro,  in 
this  case  the  women  being  the  sole  performers ; and  one  I heard 
in  Prahsu  (Fanti)  had  obscene  words  sung  to  a hymn  tune, 
which  seems  rather  an  unnecessary  insult  to  our  missionaries. 


There  are  some  songs  not  accompanied  by  dances,  of  course, 
many  of  them  being  very  pretty,  the  serenade  to  the  chiefs  taking 
my  fancy  particularly,  though  it  might  have  been  played  on  an 
instrument  with  rather  a sweeter  tone  than  an  algaita , which 
sounds  like  something  between  a clarionet  and  the  bagpipes, 
though  with  only  a single  note  at  a time. 


— I1** — 1 — 1- 

— h-=hJ- 

1— 

zA  . 

les, 

H — i — i 

— r 

— 

— f— — j&- 

L4— 

l~ 

m 

-a 4 — i — i — r 

265 


MUSIC  AND  DANCING 

One  salutation,  or  song  of  praise,  I heard  in  the  Ankwoi 
country  as  we  marched,  the  verse — a string  of  compliments  to  the 
great  men  of  the  party — being  sung  by  one  man,  the  rest  joining 
in  the  chorus  with  an  “ O ” or  an  “ Urn,”  or  repeating  the  last 
few  words  in  a lower  key. 


— a— * — » — *— 

F-  “ 

Two  other  salutations  are  very  general  and  are  played  all 
over  Hausaland  on  long  brass  trumpets  shaped  like  coach-horns, 
which  may  be  in  different  keys.  The  words  to  the  first  are 
Ga  shi , Ga  shi  (u  See  him,  See  him  ”),  and  to  the  second  Ka  sauka 
lajia , Ka  sauka  lajia  (“  May  you  alight  in  health,  May  you  alight 
in  health,”  i.e.  arrive  safely). 


And  there  was  another  song  which  I heard  in  Lokoja,  sung  by 
a boy  from  Cape  Coast  Castle,  to  which  place  I believe  the  air 
belongs.  It,  like  most  of  the  repertoire , goes  on  ad  libitum  and 
ad  nauseam.  I do  not  know  how  it  ends,  I never  heard  it  end 
naturally. 


266 


MUSIC  AND  DANCING 

There  are  other  instruments,  the  syrinx  for  instance,  and 
flutes  of  different  shapes,  which  are  much  too  numerous  to  be 
described  here.  The  xylophone  is  found  in  many  parts  of  West 
Africa,  though  not  amongst  the  head-hunters,  and  the  guitar  in 
various  forms  is  common,  particularly  amongst  the  Hausas. 

The  most  primitive  music  can  be  reduced  to  rhythm  alone, 
according  to  Dr.  Deniker,  and  so  the  earliest  instruments  were 
objects  used  simply  to  beat  time,  the  present  representatives 
being  triangles,  cymbals,  castanets,  and  bones.  The  drum  was  a 
stage  further,  though  it  might  be  only  a cloak  of  opossum  skin 
stretched  between  the  thighs,  as  in  Australia.  Drums  of  different 
keys  were  then  introduced,  some — kettle-drums — being  still  used 
in  our  orchestras,  while  others  give  a succession  of  notes  by  being 
compressed,  as  we  have  seen.  The  xylophone  is  also  a percussion 
instrument,  and  so  is  the  sansa , a kind  of  musical  box  played 
with  the  fingers  by  some  negroes. 

Of  wind  instruments  the  most  ancient  is  probably  the  flute, 
or  the  shepherd’s  pipe,  it  being  the  most  easily  made,  and  no 
doubt  the  clarionet  developed  from  it,  while  the  introduction  of 
brass  gave  the  musician  a wider  range  in  his  choice  of  the  sounds 
with  which  to  gladden  the  heart  of  man. 

The  bow  was  the  first  stringed  instrument,  the  negroes  of 
Angola  playing  on  it  even  now,  according  to  Deniker,  by  means 
of  a sliding  ring,  and  some  forms  of  the  Hausa  guitar  are  merely 
a bow  fixed  to  a sounding-board  of  gourd  and  parchment.  The 
reason  for  this  is  easily  seen  when  we  remember  that  the  Arabs 
twanged  their  bow-strings  to  accompany  their  war  songs  when 
marching  to  battle.  Professor  Pidgeway  shows  that  both  the 
harp  of  Northern  Europe  and  the  conventional  lyre  of  Greece 
were  evolved  from  the  shooting-bow,  which  was  bent  up,  the 
place  of  the  string  being  taken  by  a wooden  cross-piece  from 
which  the  new  strings  were  stretched,  and  later  on,  a sounding- 
board  was  found  in  the  back  of  the  tortoise,  and  in  other  countries 
in  a gourd.  From  a round  gourd,  or  the  round  end  of  an  oblong 
gourd,  came  the  banjo,  brought  to  America  by  West  African 
slaves,  while  from  the  oval  gourd  came  the  mandolin,  both  of 
which  are  merely  shooting-bows  with  resonators.  And  the  same 

267 


MUSIC  AND  DANCING 

authority  explains  the  passage  in  2 Samuel  i.  17,  by  stating  that 
David  taught  the  children  of  Judah  the  use  of  a musical  instru- 
ment, not  of  a shooting-bow,  with  which  they  must  have  been 
long  acquainted,  his  opinion  being  supported  by  the  statement 
of  the  prophet  Micah  that  David  was  an  inventor  of  musical 
instruments. 

But  even  the  most  uncivilised  peoples  have  composite  instru- 
ments, such  as  the  gora  of  the  Bushmen,  and  the  process  of 
combination  has  kept  pace  with  the  improvement  in  the  instru- 
ments themselves,  so  that  we  can  nowadays,  by  simple  movement 
of  the  fingers,  perform  on  strings  (as  in  the  piano),  or  on  a wind 
instrument  (the  organ),  or  latest  of  all,  in  the  case  of  piano- 
players,  we  can  use  wind  to  play  upon  strings  by  percussion. 

I used  to  wonder  why  all  the  native  songs  are  in  the  minor  key  ! 
They  are  usually  sad,  and  have  a haunting  note  in  the  melody. 
It  is  almost  impossible  to  represent  the  exact  sounds  on  a piano, 
because  many  of  the  chords  are  not  recognised  by  European  ears. 
I have  made  a better  attempt  at  rendering  them  on  the  instru- 
ment itself  than  in  the  score,  for,  although  vague  chords  can  be 
played,  they  cannot  be  written  with  any  satisfaction  so  far  as  I 
know,  the  scale,  which  differs  from  ours,  being  determined  by 
their  instruments.  The  British  soldier  loves  to  sing  songs  of  the 
“Break  the  news  to  Mother”  order,  and  seems  to  delight  in  the 
most  harrowing  details  of  misfortune  and  death ; so  perhaps  the 
native's  predilection  for  the  minor  key  is  not  so  very  extra- 
• ordinary  after  all.  I myself  can  understand  it  now,  for  when 
I had  fever  once  I composed  a “ Dead  March,”  my  only  worry 
being  that  I could  not  have  it  written  out  and  played  at  my 
funeral  should  it  take  place  then.  It  did  not,  however,  and  the 
March,  which  I have  called  “ Dis-Mal-Aria,”  will  be  in  time  after 
all ; and  perhaps  I had  better  write  down  the  reasons  for  the 
name  lest  they  be  lost  to  the  world,  and  so  much  deep  thought 
on  my  part  wasted.  Dismal  Aria  and  Malaria  will  be  plain 
enough  to  most,  but  (and  here  is  where  the  appalling  genius 
comes  in)  Mai  Aria  would  be  a Frenchman's  description  of  the 
tune,  and  Dis-Malaria  (being  a negative)  signifies  that  there  will 
be  no  fever  hereafter  if  it  has  done  its  worst  on  earth. 

268 


MUSIC  AND  DANCING 


The  argument  is  as  follows : — 

The  first  movement  pictures  an  official  in  the  throes  of 
malarial  fever  ( [mf ),  and  after  a repeated  dose  of  it  (the  fever, 
not  the  tune),  he  passes  peacefully  {pp)  away.  The  second  move- 
ment represents  the  delight  of  the  next  man  in  order  of  seniority 
— he  is  getting  on  in  years  {Forte) — who,  by  becoming  sharp  (the 
other  was  rather  a flat),  gets  himself  into  the  vacancy  thus  left 
further  up  the  scale  (in  the  treble).  But  the  promotion  proves 
to  be  too  fast  and  furious  {ff\  for,  although  he  does  not  exactly 
lose  his  head  {Da  Capo\  he  also  falls  a victim  to  the  ever-recurring 
malarial  fever  {mf  again);  and  once  more  there  is  a vacancy  in 
the  higher  places,  caused  not  by  44  Crossing  the  Bars,1’  but  by 
leaving  them  empty. 

However  bright  one  feels  oneself,  it  is  impossible  to  play 
tunes  in  that  spirit  on  the  native  wind-instruments,  on  account 
of  the  position  of  the  holes.  I had  a band  at  Amar  composed  of  a 
policeman,  who  played  the  algaita , and  six  boys  who  banged  the 
various  drums  and  cymbals,  the  latter  being  made  out  of  empty 
cartridge-cases  by  the  local  blacksmith.  I taught  them  44  Home, 
Sweet  Home,”  44  Auld  Lang  Syne,”  44  The  British  Grenadiers,” 
and  44  Ninety-Five,”  by  whistling  the  tunes,  or  playing  them  over 
and  over  again  until  they  had  grasped  them,  on  a wheezy  travelling 
harmonium,  which  I had  borrowed  from  one  of  the  black  clerks 
(who  are  always  strong  on  hymns),  but  the  effect  of  the  minor 
key  was  rather  strange,  especially  as  some  of  the  notes  could  not 
be  played  at  all,  and  so  I had  to  improvise  substitutes.  Never- 
theless, the  marching  improved  wonderfully,  and  the  band  were  as 
proud  of  themselves  as  are  any  regimental  musicians  in  London. 
The  natives  have  good  memories  and  a wonderful  instinct  of 
rhythm,  and  had  I had  time,  I should  have  had  quite  a famous 
orchestra  in  the  end  ; but,  alas,  time  brought  me  to  the  end  of 
my  tour,  as  space  has  to  the  end  of  this  chapter. 


269 


MUSIC  AND  DANCING 


DIS-MAL-ARIA 


MUSIC  AND  DANCING 


271 


CHAPTER  XX 


A PUNITIVE  PATROL 

THE  recall  of  the  patrol  had  most  unfortunate  consequences,  as 
I had  anticipated,  and  by  the  end  of  June  over  a dozen 
Ninzam  towns  were  fighting  each  other,  the  casualties  being 
seven  killed  and  forty-two  wounded,  according  to  the  report  of 
the  District  Headman,  and  to  complicate  matters  still  more  the 
Waiwai  people  farther  to  the  south  had  taken  courage,  and  were 
busy  collecting  heads  too. 

Owing  to  the  massacre  of  an  Assistant-Resident  and  his  escort 
in  the  Zaria  province  a little  while  before,  the  narrow  escape  of 
another  in  Bauchi,  and  my  little  experience  in  Ninzam,  orders  had 
been  sent  to  Political  Officers  that  they  were  not  to  take  any  risks 
which  it  was  possible  to  avoid,  and  it  also  began  to  dawn  on 
headquarters  that  all  was  not  well  in  the  Pagan  Belt;  so  when  I 
again  applied  for  troops  a Punitive  Patrol  was  granted. 

There  are  several  grades  of  these.  First  there  is  the  escort  of 
eleven  men  which  a Political  Officer  may  take  on  demand  from  the 
officer  commanding  the  detachment,  and  this  was  the  usual  pro- 
cedure. If  a greater  number  is  required,  the  consent  of  the 
Governor  must  be  previously  obtained  (except  when  the  circum- 
stances are  very  urgent)  and  a military  officer  is  detailed  to  com- 
mand those  of  his  men  who  form  the  escort,  as  was  the  case  when 
we  went  to  the  Toff  country.  The  next  class  is  the  Patrol,  and 
this  may  be  for  purposes  of  “ peaceful  penetration,”  which  usually 
ends  in  fighting,  or  it  may  be  necessary  for  the  arrest  of  some 
important  chief  or  powerful  criminal.  All  these  are  in  theory  for 
peaceful  purposes,  and,  except  in  the  pagan  countries,  there  will  not 
be  much  excitement;  but  last  come  the  Punitive  Patrol  and  the 
Expedition,  both  of  which,  being  intended  to  fight,  are  composed 
of  more  men,  and  are  more  liberally  supplied  with  ammunition. 

272 


A PUNITIVE  PATROL 


A Punitive  Patrol  was  sanctioned  at  last,  as  I have  said,  and 
the  new  officer  commanding  at  Jemaan  Daroro  and  I went  to 
Akwa  on  the  17th  July,  where  we  met  the  Keffi  contingent — 
really  met  them  this  time.  Its  strength  was  two  Europeans, 
eighty  native  rank  and  file,  and  some  hundred  carriers  and  others, 
while  we  from  Jemaa  numbered  the  same  as  the  similar  party  the 
previous  April,  except  that  I had  some  fifty  chiefs  and  followers 
with  me. 

Owing  to  the  rivers  being  in  flood  the  marches  were  very  slow, 
for  we  had  to  wade  through  the  shallow  streams,  and  cross  many 
of  the  bigger  ones  by  means  of  suspension  bridges  made  of  “ tie- 
tie.”  It  was  quite  a gymnastic  feat  for  us  Whitemen  to  get  over 
some  of  them,  but  the  poor  carriers  with  their  loads  had  a very 
much  harder  task,  and  in  fact  a few  were  so  much  frightened  that 
they  were  unable  to  do  so  unaided,  and  as  not  more  than  about 
three  could  be  on  the  bridge  at  the  same  time  on  account  of  the  rock- 
ing, our  progress  was  exceedingly  slow.  However  on  the  19th  we 
reached  Zambur,  where  shelters  had  been  erected  for  us  by  three 
friendly  Ninzam  chiefs,  one  of  whom  was  the  father  of  the  wife 
whom  Awudu  had  murdered,  and  so  was  on  our  side,  of  course. 
And,  on  arrival,  I sent  word  to  the  surrounding  rebels  to  come  in 
at  once  and  submit,  or  expect  immediate  punishment. 

It  might  be  as  well  to  state  before  going  further  what  the  pro- 
cedure is  on  these  occasions,  for,  though  war  is  always  cruel,  we 
err,  if  at  all,  on  the  side  of  leniency.  Even  when  on  a Punitive 
Patrol  every  opportunity  is  given  to  the  offenders  to  repent  in 
time,  arms  being  employed  only  in  the  last  resort,  and  sometimes, 
even  after  the  last  ultimatum  has  been  refused  and  the  force  has 
been  formed  up  for  attack,  an  extra  message  is  sent,  saying  how 
soon  we  shall  advance.  The  people  are  always  warned  to  get 
their  women  and  children  out  of  the  way,  in  case  they  have  not 
already  done  so,  and,  if  punishment  has  to  be  inflicted,  it  is 
finished  as  soon  as  possible. 

It  is  rather  sad  to  think  that  it  should  be  necessary  at  all,  but 
in  a dangerous  country  stern  measures  must  be  taken,  for  were  no 
notice  taken  of  an  attack — or  even  an  affront — to  one  European, 
the  next  one  would  probably  be  murdered,  and  there  could  be  no 

273  s 


A PUNITIVE  PATROL 


control  whatever  maintained  over  people  whose  respect  is  given 
only  to  those  who  can  enforce  it.  Again,  it  would  never  do  to  let 
every  one  off  scot  free  directly  they  gave  in,  for  they  might 
invariably  give  trouble  when  the  Resident  was  alone,  and  always 
give  in  and  escape  punishment  on  the  appearance  of  a patrol ; a 
criminal  in  England  does  not  go  unpunished  because  he  gives 
himself  up  when  escape  is  out  of  the  question.  Nor  would  it  do 
to  promise  that  there  would  be  no  penalty,  and  yet  to  inflict  one 
on  their  submission,  for  that  would  put  an  end  to  all  confidence 
in  the  representatives  of  the  Government.  The  only  fair  way  is  to 
impose  a general  fine  on  the  people  of  the  town  concerned,  and  special 
penalties  on  the  principal  culprits,  with  the  warning  that  unless 
the  conditions  are  complied  with  by  such  and  such  an  hour  force 
will  be  resorted  to,  and  this  is  what  usually  happens  in  such  cases. 

Of  course  it  would  not  do  to  lay  down  conditions  impossible 
of  fulfilment  by  the  particular  people  concerned,  but  the  Political 
Officer  (who  orders  everything  prior  to  the  actual  hostilities)  will 
know  the  capacity  of  the  town,  and  after  all  we  are  not  naturally 
unjust.  We  still  have  the  same  feelings  of  pity  as  our  fathers 
and  brothers  at  home ; we  do  not  necessarily  develop  into  wild 
beasts  because  we  live  in  a dangerous  country,  though  one  would 
think  so  sometimes  to  read  the  papers.  Perhaps,  on  the  whole, 
we  have  a good  deal  more  true  sympathy  with  the  natives,  for  we 
know  them  as  they  really  are,  whereas  many  of  the  arm-chair 
philanthropists  gather  their  information  from  Uncle  Toni's  Cabin , 
or  from  reports  of  the  proceedings  after  the  Indian  Mutiny.  I 
have  heard  men  laugh  at  the  idea  of  some  miserable  prisoner 
having  been  a dangerous  chief ; but  an  armed  savage,  free,  excited, 
and  in  command  of  an  armed  horde  which  has  been  worked  up  to 
fever  heat,  is  a very  different-looking  person  to  a cowed  convict 
whose  spirit  has  been  broken.  Those  men  might  not  have  been 
so  ready  to  smile  had  they  seen  him  in  his  natural  character,  and 
in  his  own  country.  No  doubt  a trussed  Englishman  is  not  a very 
terrible  spectacle  to  the  cannibals  who  are  about  to  eat  him, 
though  when  free  and  armed  he  was  not  exactly  an  enemy  who 
could  be  despised. 

No  reply  having  come  to  my  messages,  we  attacked  three 

274 


A PUNITIVE  PATROL 


towns  on  the  following  day,  and  had  a little  fighting,  but  there 
was  not  much  resistance,  and,  beyond  securing  some  food  (which 
was  set  off'  as  part  payment  of  a fine),  the  day  was  not  very 
eventful. 

On  the  20th  we  did  the  same  thing  in  a different  direction, 
and  the  following  day  went  to  Ungual  Kaura,  Fada  Wate,  and 
Ungual  Maitozo  to  look  up  my  old  friends  there.  Alas,  they 
had  not  the  manners  to  wait  for  us,  and  we  received  no  warm 
welcome  such  as  we  had  been  led  to  expect,  but  we  destroyed  the 
houses  as  a punishment.  As  I have  said  before,  I had  to  hang  the 
chief  of  Ungual  Kaura,  and  his  brother  gave  out  that  because  I 
had  taken  his  (the  chief’s)  head  he  would  have  mine.  I sent  to 
him  to  say  that  I was  bringing  it  for  him,  though  upon  my  own 
shoulders  for  convenience1  sake,  so  it  was  exceedingly  impolite  of 
him  to  be  out  when  I called.  He  came  to  Jemaan  Daroro  after- 
wards to  repent,  and  I installed  him  as  the  new  chief;  for  West 
Africa  is  a country  where  bygones  are  allowed  to  be  bygones,  and 
he  was  the  next  heir  to  the  position,  and  the  best  man  available 
for  it. 

There  was  one  man  whom  I was  very  anxious  to  catch,  namely, 
the  lame  Mada(i)ki  of  Fada  Wate  who  had  stabbed  the  carrier,  and, 
hearing  that  he  was  hiding  on  the  farm  some  five  miles  away,  we 
started  oft' about  3.30  next  morning  to  surprise  him.  Unfortunately 
the  rear  of  our  party  lost  its  way,  and  took  the  wrong  road,  and 
we  were  thereby  delayed  so  long  that  it  was  daylight  before  we 
arrived,  and  the  birds  were  of  course  flown.  A house  was  pointed 
out  to  us  as  his  hiding-place,  and  we  charged  up,  the  O.  C.  in  his 
shirt  sleeves  cheering  his  men  on,  his  boy  following-  close  up  with 
his  sword,  I with  a walking-stick  (I  did  manage  to  hit  a man  with 
it  once),  the  doctor  with  his  umbrella,  and  the  subaltern  with  a 
golf-stick — quite  an  awe-inspiring  party — and  were  fearfully 
disgusted  at  finding  the  place  empty.  When  we  looked  around 
and  saw  each  other  we  burst  out  laughing,  though  before  that 
the  excitement  had  prevented  our  seeing  anything  incongruous 
in  our  appearance.  We  managed  to  get  some  of  the  missing 
man’s  property,  though,  and  entered  it  as  part  of  the  fine,  and  we 
heard  afterwards  that  we  had  been  within  five  yards  of  a hole  in 

275 


A PUNITIVE  PATROL 

which  he  was  hiding  at  the  time.  He  was  killed  in  action  last 
year. 

The  chief  of  Amar,  one  of  the  biggest  of  the  Ninzam  towns, 
had  been  friendly  in  March,  but  had  meanwhile  gone  over  to  the 
other  side,  and  so  we  had  to  pay  him  a visit  too.  It  was  rather 
hard  luck  on  him,  for  he  was  forced  into  it  to  a certain  extent, 
and  we  were  not  too  severe  on  Amar ; but  he  was  evidently  not 
beloved  by  his  gods,  for  he  came  out  against  us,  and,  as  luck 
would  have  it,  he  was  wounded  in  the  foot,  thus,  on  the  whole, 
doing  rather  badly. 

On  the  24th  we  went  to  Randa,  another  Ninzam  town,  where 
shelters  had  been  erected  for  us,  and,  having  had  a pretty  hard 
week,  we  determined  to  rest  on  the  next  day,  Sunday,  when  I 
managed  to  get  the  song  given  elsewhere.  Here  I heard  that  the 
Waiwai,  a tribe  living  on  two  big  hills  near  Randa,  had  attacked  a 
Ninzam  town  after  we  had  been  there,  and,  although  I myself  was 
quite  entitled  to  punish  the  people  for  their  misbehaviour,  I was 
not  going  to  allow  any  one  else  to  do  so — in  fact  their  payment  of 
tribute  implies  an  obligation  on  our  part  to  protect  them  against 
others — so  I determined  to  visit  these  gentry. 

The  Waiwai  are  an  offshoot  of  the  Mada  tribe,  being  head- 
hunters and,  of  course,  slavers.  They  had  never  been  visited  by 
any  one  before,  and  were  rather  sceptical  of  the  Whiteman’s  power 
to  enter  their  towns,  so  I thought  that  their  conquest  would  be  an 
excellent  lesson  to  the  surrounding  tribes  who  were  terrorised  by 
them.  Again,  as  if  to  make  certain  that  we  should  come,  an 
impertinent  message  was  sent  to  us,  asking  why  we  did  not  fight 
them  as  well  as  the  Ninzam,  and  saying  that  if  we  did  come  they 
would  provide  a suitable  reception.  I knew  that  all  the  surrounding 
towns  would  hear  of  this,  and  there  was  now  no  help  for  it,  though 
I cannot  say  that  we  were  much  disappointed  at  the  turn  events 
had  taken,  for  I had  several  scores  to  pay  off  against  the  tribe. 

On  the  26th,  therefore,  we  left  about  5.30  a.m.,  and  reached 
the  first  village,  Ungual  Ancho,  at  8.10.  Passing  through  this, 
which  was  empty,  we  advanced  towards  a steep  and  narrow  path 
leading  to  the  next  village,  and  we  were  about  half  way  up  when, 
suddenly,  the  familiar  sound  of  “ thith,  thith  11  was  heard,  and 

276 


A PUNITIVE  PATROL 


arrows  began  falling  around  us,  coming  from  a hill  just  opposite 
the  path.  The  O.  C.  sent  the  advance  guard  on  at  a run,  and 
they,  mounting  the  rise,  were  able  to  fire  over  our  heads,  and 
dislodge  the  assailants.  Then,  leaving  a section  to  watch  the 
place  until  the  carriers  and  rear-guard  had  passed,  we  pushed 
forward  and  were  soon  engaged  in  front.  However,  the  resistance 
soon  eased  off,  and  by  10  o’clock  we  were  able  to  have  breakfast. 

That  finished,  we  split  into  two  parties,  the  O.  C.  and  the 
doctor  going  along  the  top  of  the  hills,  and  the  Jemaa  subaltern 
and  myself  (the  two  fat  ones  of  the  party)  taking  the  lower 
ground.  The  upper  column  was  soon  engaged,  and,  after  about 
ten  minutes,  its  bugler  sounded  the  “ assembly  ” several  times  in 
succession,  so  I brought  up  the  Maxim,  the  other  section  covering 
our  passage  from  below.  We  had  to  pass  close  to  high  grass  on 
the  way,  and,  seeing  it  waving,  we  knew  that  a little  surprise 
party  was  waiting  for  us  there  ; so  we  managed  to  find  a higher 
path  to  the  left,  thus  out-ambushing  the  ambush,  and,  when 
above  the  patch,  poured  in  several  volleys,  the  yells  telling  us  that 
our  suspicions  had  been  correct.  If  they  had  only  kept  still,  we 
might  have  gone  straight  on,  and  been  “ scuppered  ” beautifully, 
for  we  were  in  a hurry  to  press  forward,  as  the  upper  column  was 
evidently  in  difficulties. 

Our  way  was  now  clear,  and  we  soon  rejoined  our  comrades, 
who  we  found  had  been  attacked  by  this  very  party  (but  on 
their  left  flank  and  rear)  at  the  same  time  as  a larger  body 
was  disputing  their  advance  from  the  front.  The  rout  of  the 
ambush  and  the  arrival  of  the  Maxim  soon  put  matters  on  a 
different  footing,  and,  after  a while,  the  opposition  melted  away, 
and  we  got  into  a more  open  spot,  whence  we  could  see  Waiwais 
running  in  all  directions  towards  the  Mada  country  to  the  south. 

The  next  village  we  came  to  was  built  on  the  lower  side  of 
one  of  the  hills,  and  we  found  many  natural  caves  formed  bv  big 
boulders  of  rock.  Some  of  these  were  inhabited,  and  one  or  two 
men  had  somewhat  unpleasant  surprises  on  entering  them,  but 
the  resistance  was  really  over,  and  as  darkness  was  coming  on, 
and  also  the  rain,  we  started  on  our  march  back  to  Randa, 
having  had  a long  and  tiring  day. 

277 


A PUNITIVE  PATROL 

About  two  hundred  men  from  this  place  had  come  with  us, 
wearing  strips  of  bark  round  their  foreheads  to  show  that  they 
were  friendlies,  and  the  stock  captured  was  handed  over  to  them 
to  take  back  to  our  camp.  We  had  hardly  started  when  a 
tornado  came  down,  and  our  journey  home  was  anything  but 
pleasant.  As  we  got  near  the  town  a lot  of  Randa  men  managed 
to  run  away  with  their  charges,  and  this  disgusted  us  very  much, 
considering  that  our  fight  that  day  would  probably  do  the  people 
of  Randa  more  good  than  those  of  any  other  town,  for  the 
Waiwai  had  always  terrorised  them.  However,  even  that  was 
not  so  bad  as  our  experience  at  Zambur  and  Fada  Wate, 
where  we  found  that  some  of  the  carriers  had  killed  and 
hidden  many  of  the  sheep  and  goats  en  route , and  were 
sneaking  back  to  eat  them  after  dark.  A European  will  get 
a lot  of  disappointments  if  he  looks  for  gratitude  in  a native; 
there  is  no  past  for  a black  man,  there  is  no  future,  the 
present  is  the  only  time  he  is  interested  in.  After  all,  why  should 
he  bother?  He  is  much  happier  thus,  and  even  those  whom 
we  protect  would  prefer  our  room  to  our  company,  forgetting 
that  did  we  go  they  would  he  as  much  a prey  to  the  stronger 
tribes  as  they  were  before  our  arrival. 

I had  managed  to  save  a woman  who  ran  out  of  a cave  just 
under  where  I was  standing,  recognising  just  in  time  that  she  was 
a woman  by  the  baby  on  her  back,  and  I sent  her  to  the  people 
to  say  that  they  had  received  their  lesson,  and  would  have  to 
come  to  Jemaa  to  submit  formally  on  my  return,  and  that  if 
they  did  so  we  should  thenceforward  he  friends  instead  of 
enemies.  I am  glad  to  say  that  most  of  them  did  so,  and, 
although  it  is  too  much  to  hope  that  they  will  drop  all  their 
quaint  habits  straight  away,  there  is  no  doubt  that,  as  a great 
deal  of  their  self-esteem  was  shattered,  and  their  evil  influence 
abolished,  they  will  think  twice  in  future  about  inciting  other 
tribes  to  resist.  So  long  as  the  Waiwai  were  untouched  they 
tried  to  persuade  the  Ninzam  to  fight,  they  raided  surrounding 
peoples  as  they  pleased,  and  other  tribes,  seeing  them  so 
happy  (in  a head-hunting  sense),  naturally  tried  to  follow  their 
example. 


278 


A PUNITIVE  PATROL 


This  is  always  a problem  in  such  a country  as  Northern  Nigeria  ; 
the  Government  cannot  lay  down  a rule  that  the  limit  of  control 
will  extend  so  far  and  no  farther,  for  the  tribes  inside  the 
boundary  will  always  want  to  know  why  they  are  forced  to 
obey  when  those  in  the  next  hills  are  left  alone  (not  under- 
standing the  “ imaginary  line  drawn  from  A to  B,"”  &c.),  and  so 
the  boundary  has  to  be  constantly  extended.  Again,  these  tribes 
are  nearly  always  deadly  enemies,  and  to  prevent  one  under  our 
protection  fighting  another  not  so  blessed,  while  still  leaving  the 
people  open  to  the  attacks  of  their  old  foes,  would  be  the  height 
of  injustice.  A wild  tribe  will  often  attack  one  paying  tribute 
simply  because  of  this  very  fact  (do  not  wild  birds  kill  a tame 
one  P) ; and  if  by  taking  their  tribute  we  assume  the  suzerainty 
over  them,  it  is  only  our  duty  to  give  them  something  in  return, 
namely,  protection.  And  apart  from  the  question  of  justice,  it  is 
wise  on  account  of  policy,  for  natives  soon  realise  the  difference 
between  a good  and  a bad  bargain. 

We  rested  on  the  following  day,  and  on  the  28th  went  to 
Ankirra,  where  the  Mada(i)ki  of  Jemaan  Daroro,  the  District 
Headman,  had  been  stoned  a month  or  two  before,  and,  after 
staying  a couple  of  days  without  having  any  trouble,  we  went 
on  to  Giddan  Sa(r)rikin  Ambel. 

On  our  way  we  passed  Tare,  the  people  retreating  as  we 
advanced,  though  there  was  some  resistance,  and  later  on  an 
attack  was  made  on  a small  escort  sent  back  with  a mail- 
runner.  We  had  not  sufficient  time  to  return  then,  but  a 
note  was  made  of  it  for  future  reference,  and  the  town  was 
subdued  last  year,  though  whether  finally  or  not  I cannot  say,  for 
it  has  given  trouble  every  year  since  our  arrival. 

It  is  a common  mistake  to  think  that  when  a tribe  has 
once  been  beaten  it  will  cause  no  more  trouble,  and  I have  seen 
glowing  reports  (written,  usually,  just  as  a Resident  is  going 
home)  of  the  peaceful  time  in  store  for  the  district  after  a 
successful  expedition.  I think  that  so  long  as  the  wild  pagan 
is  as  warlike  as  he  is,  and  so  long  as  we  repress  his  little  failings, 
whether  looting,  enslaving,  head-hunting,  or  what  not,  there  will 
always  be  a 'possibility  of  trouble,  and  any  weakness  on  our  part 


A PUNITIVE  PATROL 

will  sooner  or  later  convert  the  possibility  into  fact.  The 
difficulty  is,  that  a Political  Officer  is  expected  to  report  that 
all  within  his  jurisdiction  is  satisfactory,  and  will  remain  thus 
for  ever  and  ever,  amen.  If  he  cannot,  he  will  be  blamed  for  not 
having  made  it  so ; if  he  does  report  favourably,  and  there  is 
trouble  later,  he  will  probably  be  on  leave,  and  so  his  successor 
will  be  blamed  for  it — and  that  is  much  more  satisfactory.  I 
have  known  a tribe  described  as  thoroughly  dependable,  even 
when  they  had  refused  to  pay  tribute  for  some  time.  But  this 
is  a dangerous  subject,  and  to  turn  away  from  local  affairs  to 
safer  channels,  I might  ask  how  many  times  the  Ashanti  have 
been  reported  as  certain  to  be  absolutely  friendly  in  future  ? The 
treaties  between  us  and  them  always  seem  to  have  contained  some 
beautiful  sentiment  of  perpetual  peace,  and  the  illusions  have 
invariably  been  rudely  shattered. 

The  late  chiefs  house  at  Ambel  easily  held  the  whole  of  our 
little  force,  about  250  all  told,  and  the  zaures  made  quite  good 
mess-rooms.  From  here  we  made  two  excursions,  one  to  Arom, 
which  was  unsatisfactory,  as  we  found  the  town  deserted,  the 
other  to  Ayashi,  which  did  not  prove  quite  so  profitless. 

Ayashi  is  a collection  of  villages  built  on  a spur  of  the 
“Bauchi  Highlands,'”  which  we  ascended  when  going  to  Toff. 
The  people  are  cannibals  and  head-hunters  belonging  to  the  Nadu 
tribe,  and  they  pierce  both  lips  and  the  septum  of  the  nose  for 
the  reception  of  bone,  wood,  or  other  ornaments.  They  had  pre- 
viously been  “ thoroughly  subdued11  (sic)  on  several  occasions,  and 
had  remained  quite  friendly  until  the  patrol  was  out  of  sight,  but 
in  each  case  they  had  then  resumed  their  little  failings  as  of  yore. 

They  are  said  by  a former  Resident  who  visited  them  to  be 
Phallic  worshippers,  but  I was  unable  to  find  out  anything  definite 
myself.  Fie  also  noted  that  directly  they  had  given  in,  the  people 
came  to  him  with  many  complaints  to  settle,  hoping  no  doubt 
that  he  would  give  a ruling  contrary  to  that  of  their  own  chief  in 
cases  already  decided  against  them.  I have  noticed  this  myself, 
too,  but  I am  always  very  careful  in  such  circumstances,  for  it  is 
impossible  to  know  the  real  rights  and  wrongs  according  to  the 
people’s  own  laws  in  so  short  a time.  Another  request  is  for  a 

280 


A PUNITIVE  PATROL 

charm  to  ensure  childbirth,  and  as  there  is  no  reason  to  believe 
that  these  natives  are  particularly  sterile,  I suspect  the  charm  is 
rather  to  ensure  the  birth  of  a child  out  of  the  ordinary  than  of 
any  one  at  all,  the  Whiteman's  charm  being  naturally  more  mighty 
than  those  of  their  own  medicine  men. 

On  the  2nd  August  we  attacked  the  place  in  two  parties,  and 
had  rather  an  exciting  day,  for  the  people  had  caves  which  they 
had  built  up  to  form  quite  comfortable  dwellings  with  very  narrow 
mouths,  which  were  up  on  top  in  some  cases.  The  cover  they 
afforded  was  excellent,  and  we  would  be  shot  at  without  knowing 
whence  the  arrows  were  coming.  The  only  way  to  enter  some  of 
the  caves  was  by  dropping  down  feet  first,  not  a particularly  safe 
or  pleasant  proceeding,  for  the  defenders  had  time  to  get  off 
several  arrows  and  escape  before  the  intruder's  eyes  could  become 
accustomed  to  the  dim  light.  However,  not  very  much  harm  was 
done  on  either  side,  and  as  I could  see  that  to  subdue  the  place 
would  take  at  least  a week,  we  came  away  again,  having  managed 
to  capture  enough  goats  to  pay  off  most  of  the  outstanding 
indemnity  they  owed  ; and  I also  brought  away  a couple  of  Ayu 
heads  (now  in  the  Cambridge  Museum)  from  one  of  the  little 
temples.  These  were  small  round  huts  with  skulls  of  men  and 
animals  (of  which  the  noses  were  stuffed  with  leaves)  stuck  in  the 
mud  of  the  walls,  the  whole  being  then  whitewashed.  One  of 
the  temples  had  one  comparatively  thick  pillar  on  each  side  of 
the  door,  but  most  of  them  were  simply  glorified  huts  with  the 
usual  conical  grass  roofs,  though  on  a smaller  scale. 

On  the  4th  of  August  we  shifted  our  camp  to  Gwade,  an  Ayu 
village,  and  next  day  we  visited  Aro,  a Kibbo  town  a little  way  up 
the  Bauchi  hills.  We  had  passed  through  it  during  the  preceding 
November,  and  here  again  the  tribute  was  overdue,  so  I had  then 
warned  the  chief  to  take  it  in  to  Jemaan  Daroro,  but  this,  as  soon 
as  our  backs  were  turned,  he  had  refused  to  do,  and  had  subse- 
quently driven  one  of  my  messengers  out  of  the  town.  On  our 
way  we  met  a deputation  coming  to  meet  us  to  say  that  all  the 
tribute  and  the  fine  would  be  paid  on  the  following  day ; but  as  I 
knew  that  the  people  had  been  watching  us,  and  had  made  up 
their  minds  to  submit  only  when  they  saw  us  coming,  and  that 

281 


A PUNITIVE  PATROL 

there  would  be  a similar  message  on  the  morrow,  I determined 
that  they  should  not  get  off'  quite  so  easily  as  they  thought  they 
would.  I therefore  sent  them  back  to  the  town  with  an  order 
that  all  must  be  ready  on  our  arrival,  and  that  we  were  following. 
Of  course,  it  was  not  ready,  and  we  had  some  trouble  in  getting  it, 
but  as  the  rain  was  coming  down  hard  we  were  not  sorry  for  the 
necessary  delay,  as  we  were  able  to  wait  under  shelters.  There 
were  some  amusing  incidents,  too,  which  made  the  time  pass  away 
quickly,  and  before  long  all  was  complete. 

As  soon  as  they  had  handed  over  the  full  amount,  all  the 
people  disappeared,  and  we  began  to  expect  trouble,  and  soon 
there  were  shouts  from  one  flank  of  “ Zuma,  Zuma,”  and  sure 
enough  clouds  of  bees  were  flying  towards  us.  Luckily  they  were 
stupid — with  the  rain,  I suppose — and  did  not  sting  us,  otherwise 
we  should  have  had  rather  a bad  time.  They  are,  as  I have  said 
elsewhere,  frequently  used  in  defence  of  a town.  I had  not  in- 
tended burning  the  place,  but  this  act  decided  me  to  do  so,  both 
as  a punishment,  and  also  to  keep  oft'  the  insects,  for  there  was  a 
chance  that  they  might  become  lively;  and  under  cover  of  the 
smoke  we  left  the  town  and  returned  to  camp.  Next  day  the 
chief  and  his  headmen  visited  us  and  promised  to  give  no  more 
trouble,  and  I hope  that  they  will  keep  their  word,  though  I doubt 
it  considering  their  past  record. 

From  here  we  returned  to  Jemaan  Daroro,  and  had  a day  at 
Tafa  and  Jigya,  Kagoro  towns  which  had  always  been  trouble- 
some. Most  of  the  Kagoro  had  unfortunately  found  it  incon- 
venient to  be  in  when  we  called,  so  we  did  not  have  very  much 
excitement,  and  after  half-an-hour  or  so  it  was  all  over.  We 
slept  in  a zareba,  however,  for  the  Kagoro  had  attacked  at  night 
on  a previous  occasion,  and  next  day  we  returned  to  Jemaan 
Daroro. 

The  O.  C.  and  the  doctor  left  for  KefA  on  the  11th,  and  the 
Punitive  Patrol  was  over,  and  then  came  the  office  work  of  writing 
reports,  sending  in  accounts,  &c.,  which  took  all  my  time  for  the 
next  fortnight,  most  of  the  work  being  done  in  bed  owing  to  a 
poisoned  leg,  and  an  attack  of  blackwater  fever. 

I have  generally  kept  clear  of  names  in  this  book,  for  the  law 

282 


A PUNITIVE  PATROL 


of  libel  has  been  reduced  to  such  a fine  art  nowadays  (and  the 
damages  are,  apparently,  twenty  times  as  great  as  in  cases  of 
divorce),  that  one  might  be  ruined  even  though  on  the  whole  he 
was  praising  a man.  But  I do  not  think  I need  be  afraid  to  say 
that  the  officer  commanding  the  patrol  (an  ex-member  of  the 
West  Australian  Police,  by  the  way)  was  one  of  the  pluckiest  men 
who  have  served  in  Northern  Nigeria — and  that  is  saying  a good 
deal.  The  Medical  Officer,  though  he  nearly  died  of  pneumonia 
through  the  exposure,  never  thought  of  sparing  himself,  and  as 
for  the  Jemaa  subaltern  I think  it  would  be  impossible  for  any 
one  to  have  aught  but  praise  for  such  a good  fellow  as  he  was. 
Unfortunately,  both  of  us  had  had  our  knees  poisoned  at  Aro 
with  palm-spikes,  and  were  laid  up  for  some  weeks  afterwards  at 
Jemaan  Daroro,  his  being  the  worse  of  the  two. 

The  conditions  under  which  we  worked  were  very  bad,  and  in 
some  ways  the  travelling  proved  worse  than  the  fighting,  though 
the  hills  were  not  like  those  of  the  “ Bauchi  Highlands.”  It  was 
at  the  height  of  the  rains,  and  every  river  was  flooded,  and 
though  in  some  parts  tie-tie  bridges  had  been  made  by  friendly 
natives,  as  I have  stated,  in  the  hostile  country  there  were  not 
even  these,  and  we  had  to  improvise  rafts  or  else  swim  on  gourds. 
Some  of  the  rafts  were  strange-looking  craft,  tents  filled  with 
dry  grass,  palm-oil  dishes,  logs,  anything ; and  when  each  deep 
river  meant  four  or  five  hours’  delay  in  the  rain  (and  it  can  rain 
in  July),  we  almost  began  to  wish  we  had  been  born  frogs  rather 
than  human  beings. 

However,  rivers  do  not  flow  everywhere,  and  there  were  usually 
amusing  incidents  to  take  one  out  of  oneself ; besides,  the  native 
is  always  ready  to  laugh,  and  he  expects  to  be  encouraged  to  do 
so ; so  the  time  went  by,  and  the  difficulties  were  overcome  with 
much  less  distress  to  mind  or  body  than  we  sometimes  expected. 
The  two  of  us  from  Jemaa  were  rather  heavy,  and  the  soldiers 
would  yell  with  delight  at  our  un-Blondin-like  efforts  to  preserve 
our  balance  while  sitting  on  a raft  shaped  like  a truss  of  hay,  and 
flush  with  the  water-line,  or  our  hanging  on  to  a man’s  hair  while 
being  carried  on  his  shoulders.  We  all  agreed  excellently,  and 
that  was  a very  important  factor,  for  we  were  wet  through 

283 


more 


A PUNITIVE  PATROL 


than  half  the  time.  The  official  approval  of  the  operations  was 
some  return  for  what  we  had  gone  through,  for  we  were  told  that 
“most  excellent  work  had  been  done  during  the  patrol  under 
the  most  trying  circumstances,11  but  I think  that  we  might  have 
been  given  a medal. 

I had  had  a good  many  of  the  chiefs  followers  with  me,  the 
headmen  of  the  districts  passed  through,  guides  and  messengers, 
and  also  some  to  take  charge  of  the  captured  stock.  The  District 
Headman  of  Ninzam  (the  chief  of  Sanga)  and  several  of  the  others 
died  from  exposure,  and  nearly  all  our  horses  were  lame,  so  the 
hardships  of  the  patrol  can  be  imagined.  The  present  chief  of 
Sanga  is  the  old  man’s  nephew,  he  who  >vas  reported  as  killed  in 
the  previous  March  by  the  people  of  Ungual  Maitozo.  He  had 
managed  to  escape,  though  hit  with  an  arrow,  and  had  been  sent 
home  by  a safe  route  by  the  chief  of  Amar,  who  was  then  friendly 
to  us. 

The  soldiers  are  good  fellows,  and  when  properly  led  they  can 
accomplish  almost  anything.  Their  officers  on  this  occasion 
suited  them  perfectly,  and  in  saying  this  I do  not  include  myself, 
of  course,  for  I was  merely  a supernumerary  when  once  the  fight- 
ing had  commenced.  Natives  are  usually  younger  in  mind  than 
we  are,  they  are  fonder  of  play,  and  a little  laxity  while  off 
parade  prevents  a good  deal  of  punishment  later  on  in  their 
case.  One  expects  the  soldiers  to  be  courageous,  and  they  are, 
but  the  fact  that  the  carriers  are  also  brave  strikes  me  even  more 
forcibly,  for  they  cannot  hit  back.  It  is  one  thing  to  fight  a man 
with  a superior  weapon  in  your  hand  to  the  one  he  has ; it  is 
quite  another  when  you  are  not  only  unarmed  but  are  handi- 
capped with  a load.  I have  sometimes  equipped  them  with  the 
soldiers1  machettes  to  give  them  a chance  if  in  difficulties,  but 
even  when  defenceless  they  are  splendid. 

It  is,  of  course,  very  unusual  for  a patrol  to  be  sent  out  in  the 
rains.  Most  of  the  expeditions  take  place  about  January,  when 
the  weather  is  beautiful,  the  grass  has  been  burnt  down,  and  the 
food  is  plentiful ; but  as  the  Ninzam  district  was  in  a state  of 
anarchy,  and  the  Waiwai,  Ayashi,  and  Kagoro  also  wanted 
punishing,  we  had  no  choice  but  to  undertake  operations  at  once. 

284 


A PUNITIVE  PATROL 

There  are  other  disadvantages  besides  the  bad  weather  overhead, 
for  when  the  grass  is  high  a bow  and  arrow  is  almost  as  good  as 
a rifle,  and  the  constant  immersions  in  streams  and  scarcity  of 
food  soon  tell  on  the  Europeans. 

Perhaps  airships  will  before  long  play  an  important  part  in 
warfare,  though,  judging  by  what  I saw  at  the  Hendon  Avia- 
tion Tests  last  May,  great  improvements  are  still  required — 
improvements,  however,  which  will  certainly  be  made.  The  cost 
of  an  aeroplane  would  be  very  much  less  than  the  upkeep  of  a 
single  company  for  only  one  year,  while  it  would  be  invaluable 
against  hill  savages.  And  an  air  squadron  would  be  a humane 
institution,  for  the  terror  caused  by  the  appearance  of  such 
vessels  would  probably  make  any  bloodshed  unnecessary.  No 
one  wants  to  kill  these  poor  wretched  pagans,  but  if  the  tribes  will 
murder  or  raid  each  other  for  slaves,  and  if,  instead  of  stopping 
when  ordered  to  do  so,  they  attack  the  would-be  arbitrator,  what 
else  can  be  done  ? If  a large  force  is  taken,  one  has  the  feeling 
that  it  is  rather  unfair  to  give  the  other  side  no  chance  of  victory, 
yet  if  the  escort  be  too  small  it  can  do  no  good,  so  political 
reasons  make  it  absolutely  necessary  to  swamp  the  opposition  at 
once  if  possible,  otherwise  there  will  be  much  more  fighting,  and, 
of  course,  much  greater  loss  of  life  in  the  end.  Besides,  if  we  are 
to  stay  there,  if  we  are  to  have  any  authority  at  all,  punishment 
must  follow  the  crime  immediately.  A boy  at  school  who  does 
something  wrong  is  not  called  to  account  at  the  end  of  the  term, 
but  will  probably  have  an  unpleasant  interview  with  the  “ Head  11 
before  twenty-four  hours  are  over. 

It  seems  rather  unfair  that  no  medals  are  given  for  these 
“ small  shows,11  especially  considering  that  men  in  St.  Helena 
received  the  Boer  ribbon,  and  militia  officers  who  were  embodied 
even  in  England  were  granted  honorary  rank  in  the  army,  while 
naval  officers  and  men  received  the  Somali  medal  for  simply  land- 
ing the  troops.  Again,  many  of  the  native  soldiers  on  the  Ninzam 
patrol  had  been  on  active  service  over  a dozen  times  and  yet 
remained  undecorated.  And  this  injustice  is  not  confined  to  West 
Africa.  Would  it  not  be  possible  to  have  an  Active  Service 
Bronze  Star  to  be  awarded  in  every  case  where  no  special  medal 

285 


A PUNITIVE  PATROL 

has  been  sanctioned  to  those  taking  part  in  such  operations  (there 
is  a precedent  in  Ashanti),  the  ribbon  either  to  be  of  a special 
pattern,  or  to  be  that  of  the  general  service  medal  of  the 
particular  country  concerned  ? At  present  in  the  Army  List, 
and  when  in  uniform,  the  man  who  served  in  St.  Helena  may  seem 
a much  greater  warrior  than  the  one  who  has  seen  half-a-dozen 
small  fights  against  savages,  while  as  I have  said  before,  a 
messenger-boy  is  often  more  liberally  decorated  than  a Crimean 
veteran.  And  that  is  not  fair,  for  after  all,  a war  medal  is 
supposed  to  indicate  active  service,  and  conversely,  active  service 
should  be  rewarded  with  a medal.  The  conditions  could  be,  say, 
(1)  that  the  patrol  had  been  officially  sanctioned,  (2)  that  the 
grantee  had  had  leave  to  be  present,  or  had  necessarily  been 
present,  and  (3)  that  fighting  had  actually  taken  place.  And 
the  grant  should  be  made  even  to  troops  who  had  been  defeated, 
so  long  as  they  had  done  well,  for  the  fighting  in  that  case  would 
probably  have  been  much  more  severe  than  if  they  had  been 
victorious. 

We  fought  seven  tribes  altogether  in  the  July  and  August, 
and  none  of  us  regrets  our  experience  ; at  the  same  time  all  of  us, 
both  white  and  black,  would  have  been  pleased  at  the  grant  of  a 
“ ribbon.” 


286 


CHAPTER  XXI 


OCCUPATIONS 

mHE  commonest  form  of  basket  in  the  northern  head-hunting 
| towns  is  in  the  shape  of  a calabash,  the  weaving  being  of  the 
simplest  form.  Some  of  the  southern  towns  add  a handle  to 
theirs,  and  there  is  another  kind  used  for  carrying  water  or  honey 
which  is  made  waterproof  by  being  daubed  with  mud.  Goat- 
skins form  bags  for  grain,  but  most  of  the  sacks  are  made  of 
straw.  Jemaan  Daroro  is  noted  for  the  excellence  of  its  grass 
sleeping-mats,  which  are  well  made,  artistically  coloured,  and 
pliable. 

No  pottery  is  made  in  most  of  the  Kagoro  towns,  the  Attakka 
supplying  their  requirements  in  this  respect.  It  is  possible  that 
the  want  of  a suitable  clay  was  the  original  reason  of  this,  but 
there  is  certainly  a prohibition  against  it  now,  for  Attakka 
women  who  have  married  Kagoro  men  are  not  allowed  to  make 
pots  at  home,  but  must  go  to  their  own  country  for  the  purpose, 
being  at  liberty  to  return,  however,  after  having  done  so.  It  is 
said  that  ill-luck  will  overtake  the  Kagoro  if  they  ever  permit  the 
manufacture  of  pottery  in  their  own  country.  The  pots  are  quite 
plain  and  burnt  black,  there  being  no  decoration  or  varnish. 

There  are  several  methods  of  pot-making  amongst  the  Hausawa, 
but  in  none  of  them  is  a wheel  employed,  so  far  as  I know.  I saw 
one  method  at  Jemaan  Daroro,  the  potter  being  Salifu,  Sa(r)rikin 
Ginni  (“Chief  of  the  Building  ”),  the  same  term  being  used  for  a 
house-builder.  Clay  of  a light  yellow  colour  was  obtained  near  a 
stream  close  to  Arusua,  a neighbouring  village,  whence  it  was  cut 
with  a hoe  and  put  into  a straw  waterproof  covering,  and  brought 
to  the  house  in  Jemaan  Daroro.  Then  a certain  kind  of  mud 
was  taken  from  another  stream,  the  Rafin  Gwalliki,  and  after 
having  been  dried  in  the  sun,  it  was  kneaded  and  mixed  with  the 

287 


OCCUPATIONS 

clay.  W ater  was  then  poured  on  this  mixture,  and  it  was  left 
thus  for  a day. 

Early  next  morning,  dry  dust  was  sprinkled  on  the  floor,  and 
the  clay  was  kneaded  up  in  a lump  and  pressed  together.  It  was 
then  picked  up,  and  dust  was  sprinkled  on  it  also,  so  that  it 
should  not  stick  to  anything,  and  after  that  it  was  again  kneaded, 
and  made  into  the  shape  of  a large  pancake,  or  pat  of  butter, 
some  twelve  inches  in  diameter  and  one  inch  or  more  in  thickness. 
The  next  stage  was  to  spread  it  over  an  inverted  pot,  which  the 
Hausawa  call  “ the  donkey-of-building,”  and  to  mould  it  with  the 
palm  and  a piece  of  wood  shaped  like  a u Scotch  hand  ” into  the 
form  of  a dome.  After  having  been  wetted  and  smoothed,  it  was 
placed  aside,  while  the  potter  repeated  the  process  on  other  pots. 

After  some  four  hours,  the  dome  was  removed  and  turned 
upside  down,  and  the  potter  then  placed  the  fingers  of  his  left 
hand  inside  the  rim,  and  steadied  the  pot,  while  he  beat  the  rim 
in  from  the  outside  with  the  Scotch  hand  until  the  pot  had 
assumed  the  shape  of  a bowl.  The  edge  was  then  trimmed  with 
a sharpened  stick,  or  knife,  and  after  that,  a roll  of  clay  was 
prepared,  about  one  foot  in  length  and  some  one  and  a half  inches 
in  diameter,  which  was  placed  around  the  opening,  thus  thickening 
the  neck,  and  making  the  hole  smaller.  The  operator  then  took 
a small  piece  of  soft  leather,  and  having  wetted  it,  placed  it 
astride  the  roll  of  clay.  He  seized  this  with  his  left  hand,  and 
went  round  and  round  the  pot  backwards,  steadying  it  with  his 
right  until  the  roll  of  clay  had  been  squeezed  up  into  a bell- 
shaped neck. 

This  ended  the  pot-making  proper,  the  next  step  being  the 
decoration,  and  for  this  a small  piece  of  string — about  three 
inches  Ions — was  then  rolled  slantwise  around  the  shoulder  of  the 
pot,  the  pressure  leaving  a corresponding  pattern.  Sometimes 
extra  rolls  of  clay  may  be  placed  around  the  body  of  the  pot  for 
strength,  and  perhaps  to  keep  the  spirit  in,  and  so  prevent  the  pot 
from  breaking  on  its  own  account,  and  one  I saw  had  three  pairs 
of  small  cones.  Salifu  told  me  that  the  cones  represented  breasts, 
and  were  to  show  that  the  pot  was  a female,  and  as  there  are 
similar  decorations  on  pots  in  the  Cambridge  Ethnological 

288 


A Kajji  woman  making  a basket.  She  is  holding  it  up  at  my  request,  so  that  I may  see  it  better;  otherwise  ii 

would  be  placed  upon  her  knees. 


OCCUPATIONS 


Museum,  this  must  be  correct.  These  cones  and  the  extra  rolls 
are  not  made  on  the  body  of  the  ordinary  pot  or  tukunia , but 
only  on  those  pots  which  are  to  be  used  for  oil  (telle,  Sic.),  the 
reason  given  being  that  the  telle,  being  stronger,  and  probably 
remaining  in  the  house,  lasts  a long  time,  and  so  if  the  owner 
becomes  tired  of  it  he  can  change  it  for  another,  as  a man  can  his 
wife.  But  the  tukunia,  being  always  taken  to  the  stream,  is  not 
changed,  for  it  will  not  last  long  enough  to  make  its  owner  tire  of 
it,  but  it,  like  the  male,  “ will  remain  in  the  family  until  it  dies.11 
This  may  or  may  not  be  the  true  explanation. 

The  pot  was  left  for  some  sixteen  hours  (i.e.  until  next 
morning),  and  was  then  baked  for  two  days  in  a fire,  after 
which  it  was,  of  course,  black.  Salifu  said  that  another  way 
of  making  the  tukunia  and  the  telle  is  by  moulding  the  clay 
into  a hole  in  the  ground,  and  then  shaping  the  upper  part  as 
he  did,  but  that  the  high  water-jars  (tulu)  are  made  in  ribbons. 

As  both  baskets  and  pots  are  used  to  hold  food-stuffs,  perhaps 
I should  also  say  a word  on  the  preparation  of  flour.  The  millet 
or  other  stalks  are  first  pounded  by  women  with  wooden  pestles 
in  mortars  of  the  same  material,  so  as  to  separate  the  grain  from 
the  stalks.  This  is  then  winnowed  in  a flat,  shallow  basket,  being 
simply  thrown  up  in  the  air  and  caught  again.  After  this  the 
grain  is  sprinkled  on  the  higher  end  of  a large,  flat  stone  inclined 
towards  the  ground,  where  a calabash  is  placed.  The  grinder  sits 
behind  the  higher  end,  and  rubs  downwards  with  a smaller  flat 
stone,  and  by  the  time  the  grain  has  reached  the  calabash  it  has 
become  flour. 

Notices  are  sent  round  to  all  males  when  hunting-parties  are 
to  be  formed,  and  they  are,  as  mentioned  before,  practically 
identical  with  war  contingents,  except  for  the  fact  that  the 
chief  seems  to  have  more  power  wThen  on  a hunt  than  in  an 
organised  expedition.  As  there  has  probably  been  a scarcity  of 
flesh  during  the  year,  a hunt  is  a serious  thing,  and  the  ghosts 
are  consulted  by  a three  days1  beer-drinking,  as  before  a war. 

There  are  practically  no  large  animals  now  in  the  Kagoro 
country,  so  the  rat  and  field-mouse  are  the  only  “game,11  and 

289  T 


OCCUPATIONS 


lest  this  should  appear  more  strange  than  true,  I quote  an 
anecdote  told  in  A Voice  from  the  Congo.  44  Armed  with  my  *577 
express  rifle,”  says  Mr.  Ward, 44 1 was  hurrying  towards  a distant 
valley,  where  I had  been  informed  there  were  elephants  to  be 
found.  On  my  way  I met  a party  of  six  or  eight  men  armed  with 
flint-lock  guns,  and  amply  provided  with  powder  - flasks  and 
wallets  containing  missiles.  I was  impressed  by  their  warlike 
appearance.  4 Where  are  you  going  in  such  a hurry  ? ’ said 
they.  4 After  elephants, ’ I replied.  4 And  you — where  are  you 
all  going  ? ’ 4 Oh,  we  are  going  to  the  valley  below  to  shoot 

rats ! ’ ” 

Most  of  the  grass  is  burnt  off  during  November  and  December, 
and  these  animals  can  no  longer  conceal  themselves,  fire  appar- 
ently being  employed  more  for  the  purpose  of  clearing  the 
ground  than  for  driving  the  quarry.  Sometimes,  patches  of 
grass,  perhaps  twelve  to  fifteen  feet  high,  are  left,  and  these 
are  trampled  down,  so  that  the  inhabitants  will  be  driven  out 
into  the  open  where  the  men  are  advancing  in  line,  with  their 
arrows  fitted  and  bows  stretched.  I have  twice  seen  hunting 
parties,  but  no  44  game,'”  so  I do  not  know  if  the  men  are  good 
shots  or  not.  I should  think  they  must  be,  though,  for  44  hunger 
maketh  a good  marksman,”  and  unless  they  could  hit  a target 
when  they  got  the  chance,  it  would  hardly  be  worth  while  looking 
for  it. 

Each  party  keeps  to  the  limits  of  the  land  of  its  own  town 
when  hunting  singly,  but  usually  men  of  several  villages  join 
together,  so  as  to  be  able  to  beat  a larger  expanse  of  country. 
There  is,  I understand,  no  elaborate  code  of  game  laws,  each 
man  getting  what  he  can,  where  he  can,  when  he  can.  The 
hunts  will  last  from  early  morning  until  sunset,  and  some  men 
will  be  away  every  day  from  November  to  March.  The  harvest 
is  over  (October-November),  the  houses  have  been  re-roofed  at 
the  same  time,  i.e.  before  the  grass  is  burnt  off,  and  there  will  be 
no  more  planting  until  April  or  May,  so  there  is  nothing  else  to 
do  but  to  “kill  something.” 

There  is  only  one  permanent  blacksmith  living  amongst  the 
Kagoro,  a Hausa-Filani  from  Dangoma,  who  lives  in  the  capital, 

290 


OCCUPATIONS 


the  southern  towns  getting  what  they  want  from  Jemaan  Daroro ; 
the  Moroa,  too,  have  only  one,  but  the  Kajji  boast  several. 
Sometimes  travelling  smiths  visit  these  tribes  just  before  the  wet 
season,  when  there  will  be  a demand  for  hoes,  and  stay  until  it  is 
over.  It  was  not  altogether  through  Matchu’s  own  choice  that 
he  lived  in  Fada  Kagoro ; he  had  been  plotting  for  the  chief- 
tainship of  Dangoma.  I had  to  banish  him  somewhere,  and  as 
just  then  the  Kagoro  chiefs  were  asking  for  a blacksmith,  and 
were  prepared  to  guarantee  his  safety,  Matchu’s  fate  was  fixed. 

He  told  me  that  he  made  all  his  arrows  of  a similar  pattern, 
so  that  every  one  who  buys  from  him  has  the  same  kind  of 
missile.  All  the  people,  however,  do  not  patronise  their  home 
industries,  but  go  to  Jemaan  Daroro,  Zangon  Katab,  or  to  a 
Moroa  town  for  them,  so  that  there  are  several  patterns.  In 
addition  to  this,  there  is  no  doubt  that  some  private  marks  are 
made  on  the  shaft,  or  perhaps  on  the  head  ; at  any  rate,  every  one 
knows  his  own  arrow,  and  this  is  important,  because  all  game 
belongs  to  him  who  first  hits  it.  Even  if  the  wound  be  slight, 
and  the  beast  be  despatched  by  another  hunter,  the  carcase  will 
belong  to  the  owner  of  the  first  arrow  if  it  be  still  sticking  in  the 
body,  for  it  is  held  that  the  animal  must  die  eventually  owing  to 
the  poison.  It  sometimes  happens,  therefore,  that  one  man  will 
pluck  out  the  arrows  of  another  so  that  there  may  be  no  proof  of 
ownership,  and  this  leads  to  quarrels  and  fights  between  the 
various  partisans,  especially  if  the  disputants  be  of  different 
towns,  and  so  fierce  have  these  miniature  battles  become  at 
times  that  men  have  been  wounded  in  them,  and  even  killed. 
If  there  be  no  means  of  deciding  to  whom  the  animal  belongs 
(say  if  it  has  escaped,  has  got  rid  of  the  arrows,  and  is  killed  by 
other  men  who  did  not  see  it  wounded),  the  claimants  will  be 
required  to  go  through  an  ordeal,  or  it  will  be  divided  amongst 
the  whole  party.  The  owner  of  the  carcase  takes  it  to  his  own 
house,  where  it  is  eaten  by  the  family  and  relatives,  the  whole 
being  consumed  straight  off.  He  is  not  compelled  to  give  away 
any  of  the  flesh,  though  he  may  ask  the  priest  to  the  feast,  and 
perhaps  even  the  agwam , for,  as  with  us,  a man  may  try  to 
purchase  popularity  in  high  quarters  if  trying  for  any  office. 

291 


OCCUPATIONS 

The  poisoned  meat  does  not  seem  to  be  dangerous,  and  is  readily 
eaten  without  much  ill  effect,  I was  told ; in  fact,  it  must  be,  or 
else  the  hunting  would  be  in  vain.  Arrows  are  not  necessarily 
poisoned  for  the  shooting  of  rats  and  mice,  though,  for  such  small 
animals  would  be  easily  caught  if  wounded. 

I have  not  seen  any  game-stalking,  so  I do  not  know  if  the 
Kagoro  dress  up  to  represent  their  quarry,  though  I think  not. 
The  Nadu  to  the  south  do,  however,  and  have  a wooden  helmet 
with  horns,  to  which  a hide  can  be  attached  to  conceal  the  body 
of  the  hunter.  Pits  were  dug  for  animals  in  the  old  days,  but  j 
not  now,  and  there  are  snares  for  birds,  I am  told.  Dogs  and 
horses  are  not  used,  but  with  the  Gannawarri  and  Kibbo  most 
of  the  members  of  the  hunt  are  mounted,  and  they  drive  each  | 
year  in  a very  large  circle  which  constantly  decreases,  everything 
in  sight  being  slaughtered  and  eaten.  This  procedure  soon  j 
exhausts  the  game  in  the  country,  and  since  the  Kagoro  district 
was  once  full  of  animals,  there  can  be  but  little  doubt  that  the 
people  there  did  the  same  kind  of  thing  formerly. 

The  weapons  are  the  same  as  for  war,  the  arrows  all  have  a 
similarly  shaped  head  (there  is  no  special  distinction  for  different 
sized  animals,  though  some  arrow-heads  are  much  smaller  than 
others,  and  would  be  preferable  for  rats),  and  they  have  only  one 
point.  Weapons  are  made  to  kill,  or  at  any  rate  to  disable  the 
victims,  so  that  the  flesh  may  be  secured ; the  skins  are  only  a 
secondary  consideration,  though  generally  useful  as  clothing.  It  is 
no  reproach  from  a huntsman’s  point  of  view  to  wound  and  not 
capture  an  animal,  but  the  relatives,  who  would  thus  miss  a feast, 
might  have  an  unpleasant  word  or  two  to  say  in  the  matter. 

So  far  as  I know,  there  is  no  fishing  with  a baited  hook,  but 
I am  not  certain  whether  small  cast-nets  are  used  or  not.  Fish  j 
traps  are  made  of  cane,  the  idea  of  their  construction  being  the  I 
same  as  in  our  “ lobster  pots,”  but  those  of  the  Kagoro  are  much 
longer  in  proportion  to  the  breadth.  Only  men  take  part  in 
hunting  and  fishing. 

The  head-hunters  have  no  dangerous  sports,  so  far  as  I know, 
but  the  Filani  have,  and  one  feat,  that  of  jumping  on  to  the 
horns  of  a bull,  I have  never  been  tired  of  watching.  “ Bull- 

292 


OCCUPATIONS 


fighting  is  a survival  of  barbarism,  the  existence  of  which  is 
fervently  deplored  by  all  but  its  devotees,  [for]  the  bull  is 
doomed  from  the  moment  of  its  entrance  into  the  arena,” 
writes  a contributor  in  the  Encyclopaedia  Britannica , and  he 
goes  on  pompously  to  say  “ that  a brief  description  of  bull- 
fighting should  be  here  given,  must  not  be  accepted  in  any 
way  as  a token  of  approval  or  admiration.”  The  description 
given  is  that  of  a Spanish  bull-fight,  and  although  the  writer 
admits  that  in  Portugal  and  South  America  the  picador es  (or 
Caballeros ) are  not  cruel  so  far  as  the  horses  are  concerned — for 
they  are  expert  riders  provided  with  good  horses,  and  it  is 
considered  a disgrace  if  they  do  not  save  their  horses  from 
injury — he  omits  to  mention  that  the  bull  is  not  killed,  and 
that  the  only  animal  in  danger  of  injury  or  death  is  the  man. 
In  fact,  in  Portugal,  horses  are  not  used  at  all  in  more  than 
one-half  of  the  fights,  for,  being  highly  trained,  they  are  very 
expensive,  and  the  caballeros  must  be  rich  men  to  afford 
them. 

The  worst  accounts  usually  come  from  Spain,  but  before 
condemning  the  Spaniards  unheard,  we  should  try  to  understand 
their  views  to  some  extent.  At  any  rate,  students  of  anthro- 
pology ought  to  make  an  attempt,  for  Europeans  who  are  unable 
to  comprehend  the  customs  of  Europe  will  hardly  make  much 
headway  in  divining  native  modes  of  thought. 

Mr.  Calvert  ( Impressions  of  Spain ),  trying  to  account  for 
the  different  views  prevailing  in  Spain  and  England,  says  that 
the  Spaniard  grow’s  up  to  the  sport  as  our  Elizabethan  ancestors 
grew  to  bull-baiting — even,  in  fact,  as  the  present  generation  of 
Englishmen  grows  to  pugilism  (we  are  liable  to  forget  our  own 
failings),  and,  long  habit  having  familiarised  the  Spaniard  with 
bloody  details,  his  experienced  eyes  follow  each  trick  and  turn  of 
the  contest  with  the  enthusiasm  of  a champion  watching  an  athletic 
display.  Danger  gives  to  the  contest  a dignity  which  is  absent 
from  pheasant-shooting,  and  which  formed  no  excuse  for  the 
vogue  to  which  bear-baiting  and  cock-fighting  once  attained  in 
this  country.  The  banderillero  inflicts  no  more  pain  on  the  bull 
than  the  humane  angler  deals  out  to  the  wily  trout,  and  the 

293 


OCCUPATIONS 

activity  and  daring  with  which  he  addresses  himself  to  his  task 
is  superb.  These  feats  must  be  fraught  with  infinite  danger,  and 
the  agility  with  which  the  performers  acquit  themselves  cannot 
be  witnessed  without  a tremor  of  amazement  and  admiration. 

One  may  lecture,  write,  and  preach,  he  says,  against  the 
barbarity  of  bull-fighting ; but  so  long  as  Spain  can  breed  men 
of  such  amazing  nerve,  skill,  and  dexterity,  that  they  can  success- 
fully defy  death  and  mutilation  to  provide  their  countrymen  with 
such  lurid  sport,  so  long  will  bull-fighting  continue  to  flourish  in 
Spain.  Mr.  Hutton  ( Cities  of  Spain ) is  even  more  emphatic  in 
his  denunciation  of  the  hypocrisy  with  which  Englishmen — and 
even  more  Americans — decry  this  dangerous  sport,  while  delight- 
ing in  the  coursing  of  helpless  rabbits  with  dogs,  and  in  the 
shooting  of  tame  birds  which  are  bred  as  pets  only  to  be  killed 
for  the  owner’s  amusement  later.  He  should  have  mentioned, 
though,  that  it  is  only  a very  few  amongst  Englishmen  rich 
enough  to  have  the  choice,  who  would  prefer  this  sort  of  thing 
to  big  game  shooting — which  is  dangerous  enough  to  suit  any- 
body— or  even  to  polo,  football,  or  motor-racing,  all  of  which  are 
always  risky  to  some  extent. 

One  would  think  from  the  article  in  the  Encyclopaedia  that 
there  had  never  been  any  cruel  sport  in  England,  even  in  the 
past,  much  less  in  the  present,  an  illusion  which  the  following 
description  of  the  Bull-running  at  Tutbury,  taken  from  Archae- 
logia , may  help  to  dispel.  The  bull,  we  are  told,  was  formerly 
provided  by  the  Prior  of  Tutbury,  later,  namely  in  1773,  by  the 
Earl  (sic)  of  Devonshire.  As  soon  as  his  horns  were  cut  off,  his 
ears  cropt,  his  tail  cut  by  the  stumple,  so  as  to  make  him  the 
more  difficult  to  hold,  all  his  body  smeared  over  with  soap,  and 
his  nose  blown  full  of  beaten  pepper — in  short,  being  made  as 
mad  as  it  was  possible  for  him  to  be — he  was  turned  forth  to 
be  caught,  if  possible,  by  the  minstrels.  I think  I am  right  in 
saying  that  not  even  in  Spain — let  alone  in  Portugal  or  Nigeria 
— has  a bull  been  so  cruelly  mutilated.  Nor  did  the  cruelty 
end  here,  for,  if  the  wretched  animal  was  caught  before  sunset, 
he  was  brought  to  the  bayliff’s  house  in  Tutbury,  and  there 
collared  and  roapt,  and  so  brought  to  the  bull-ring  in  the  High 

294, 


OCCUPATIONS 


Street,  and  there  bated  (I  am  retaining  the  old  spelling)  with  dogs, 
and  afterwards  killed  and  eaten.  Truly  a gentle  and  refined  sport ! 

There  was  probably  not  much  danger  to  the  minstrels  in  this, 
but  there  were  sometimes  even  milder  risks  to  be  run,  for  on 
occasions  of  rendezvous  and  public  meetings  of  merriment  in  a 
village  the  landlord  of  the  alehouse  would  give  a “tup11  (so  they 
called  a ram),  or  a pig,  well  soaped,  with  the  tail  and  the  horns 
and  the  ears  respectively  cut  off.  The  writer  goes  on  to  say 
that  though  some  authorities  traced  the  introduction  of  the  bull- 
running to  John  of  Gaunt  (who  was  Lord  of  Castile),  he  himself 
thought  it  much  older  and  of  purely  local  origin,  being  connected 
with  the  tenure  of  the  lands  by  the  earl.  Since  our  own  bull- 
baiting was  much  more  cruel  and  less  dangerous  than  that  in 
vogue  even  in  Spain,  we  hardly  seem  to  have  a right  to  deplore 
the  depraved  tastes  of  its  devotees  and  to  deny  it  any  44  token 
of  approval  or  admiration  ! ” 

So  many  writers  have  described  in  detail  the  various  aspects 
of  the  bull-fighting — the  play  on  horseback  and  on  foot,  pole- 
jumping,  sitting  on  a chair,  and  the  other  feats — that  an  account 
of  them  would  be  out  of  place  here ; but,  strange  to  say,  none 
have  mentioned  the  bull-catching,  which  seems  to  me  the  most 
dangerous  of  all,  and  as  I have  seen  it  in  both  Portugal  and 
Northern  Nigeria  a description  may  have  some  anthropological 
value. 

In  Portugal  the  bull  is  loose,  the  horns  being  cased  in  leather 
and  bandaged,  and  a number  of  44  catchers  ” enter  the  arena  and 
attempt  to  capture  him.  I do  not  know  if  there  is  a special  name 
in  Portuguese  or  Filani  for  these  people ; I have  used  the  word 
44  catchers ” as  best  describing  their  functions.  After  a time  one  of 
them  will  stand  in  front  of  the  bull,  legs  close  together,  arms 
extended,  and  will  call  and  insult  the  animal  until  it  charges  and 
tosses  him,  the  man  as  he  is  tossed  grasping  the  bull  by  the  neck. 
Once  he  has  got  on  to  the  bull’s  head  he  must  maintain  himself 
until  the  other  catchers  can  hold  the  animal  and  enable  the  man 
to  extricate  himself,  otherwise  he  would  almost  certainly  be  gored. 
I should  imagine — though  I have  no  authority  for  saying  so — that 
only  bulls  with  very  long  and  wide  horns  can  be  thus  caught,  for 

29  5 


OCCUPATIONS 

if  they  were  short  and  pointing  towards  the  front,  the  danger  of 
impalement  would  be  very  much  greater,  and  also  there  would 
hardly  be  room  for  the  man’s  body  to  hang  down  between  them. 
I saw  this  done  twice  at  Lisbon,  and  on  the  second  occasion  one 
of  the  men  was  rather  badly  hurt. 

In  Northern  Nigeria  the  horns  are  not  protected  in  any  way, 
but  the  bull  is  not  loose.  The  performers  are  usually  Filani,  a 
cattle-keeping  people  of  partly  Berber  descent,  and  it  is  possible 
that  both  they  and  the  Portuguese  learned  the  game  from  the 
people  of  North  Africa.  Two  men  hold  a rope  tied  to  a hind  foot, 
and  one,  the  catcher,  holds  another  rope  fastened  to  the  neck  or 
to  the  horns.  The  animal,  after  having  been  maddened  by  tug- 
ging at  the  rope,  drumming,  and  shouting,  is  allowed  to  dash 
about,  being  brought  up  at  will  by  a pull  on  one  rope  or  the  other. 
After  a time  the  catcher  begins  shortening  his  rope,  and  in  conse- 
quence advancing  towards  the  bull,  care  being  taken  that  the  hind 
rope  is  quite  taut  so  that  no  sudden  rush  can  be  made,  and  when 
close  up  the  bull  tries  to  gore,  and  the  man  is  tossed  exactly  as  in 
Portugal,  holding  on  in  a similar  fashion  until  extricated.  Some- 
times the  man  will  even  get  astride  the  animal’s  neck,  using  the 
horns  like  parallel  bars.  But  as  the  horns  are  not  protected  in 
these  games  there  is  always  a great  risk,  and  on  two  of  the  five 
occasions  on  which  I have  seen  this  feat  the  principal  performer 
came  to  grief. 

In  Northern  Nigeria  this  is  the  only  form  of  the  sport ; horses 
are  never  used,  the  performers  are  not  armed  in  any  way,  and  the 
bull  is  not  injured.  In  Portugal  exactly  similar  conditions  pre- 
vail so  far  as  the  catching  is  concerned,  except  for  the  ropes  tied 
to  the  animal,  and  even  in  the  regular  bull-fighting  horses  are  not 
always  employed,  but  when  they  are  they  are  very  seldom  injured 
owing  to  their  speed  and  the  dexterity  of  their  riders.  The  per- 
formers on  foot  are  armed  with  short  darts  which  do  not  pierce 
the  flesh  more  than  an  inch  or  two,  and  the  local  organisation 
corresponding  to  the  Society  for  the  Prevention  of  Cruelty  to 
Animals  insists  that  only  a certain  number  of  darts  may  be  used. 

Each  bull  is  played  only  from  fifteen  to  twenty  minutes  at  the 
most,  and  the  period  is  often  much  less,  for  there  were  ten  bulls 

296 


Bull  Baiting 


The  man  in  front  of  the  bull  is  awaiting  a favourable  opportunity  to  spring 
on  to  its  neck.  The  man  in  the  forefront  on  the  left  is  carrying  a stick 
thrust  through  pieces  of  dried  meat  which  ho  has  just  bought. 


The  Biter  Bit 

The  toreador  fell,  and  the  bull  gored  him. 


[The  above  are  drawn  from  actual  photographs  taken  in  the  market  at 
Jemaan  Daroro , but  which  would  not  bear  reproduction .] 

297 


OCCUPATIONS 

fought  in  a period  of  two  hours’  actual  play  when  I saw  it,  but 
this,  I was  told,  gave  less  time  to  each  bull  than  is  usually  the 
case.  After  the  bull  has  been  captured  or  symbolically  killed  it 
is  then  driven  out  of  the  ring  by  tame  bulls  so  that  its  hurts  can 
be  attended  to ; it  is  never  really  put  to  death. 

Most  of  the  bull-fighting  in  Spain  is,  I understand,  very  cruel, 
though  as  I have  seen  it  only  in  cinematograph  pictures  and  on 
postcards  I cannot  pretend  to  know  for  certain.  The  cruelty  is, 
at  any  rate,  not  universal,  for  a strange  game  takes  place  at  Nova, 
in  Galicia,  four  times  a year,  according  to  another  English  writer, 
who  says  that,  on  certain  occasions,  a street  serves  the  purpose  of 
an  impromptu  ring,  the  two  ends  being  blocked  by  tribunes  filled 
with  spectators,  and  the  balconies  of  the  houses  on  both  sides  over- 
flow with  ladies  and  gentlemen.  The  men  rush  at  the  bull — which 
is  practically  a tame  one  from  the  neighbouring  hills — and  try  to 
aggravate  it,  and  when  at  length  they  have  succeeded  it  plunges 
at  them,  and  they  have  to  turn  their  backs  and  flee  before  it  in  a 
crowd,  falling  at  last  in  a heap,  one  on  top  of  another,  those  who 
come  last  and  fall  on  top  getting  their  clothes  rent  by  the  horns 
of  the  bull,  to  the  immense  gratification  of  the  spectators.  So  far 
from  any  cruelty  to  the  animal  here,  the  game  ends  in  the  bull 
becoming  the  matador , and  the  men  play  the  part  usually  assigned 
to  him. 

A somewhat  similar  entertainment  is  provided  on  festival  days 
by  the  people  of  many  towns  in  the  south  of  France,  sometimes 
no  less  than  five  bulls  being  let  loose  at  the  same  time,  and  the 
people  in  the  66  ring  ” seem  to  have  a very  poor  chance  as  the 
animals’  horns  are  not  protected  in  any  way.  There  is  certainly 
no  cruelty  to  the  bull  in  Northern  Nigeria,  nor  in  either  of  the 
cases  just  mentioned ; nor  is  there  any  to  the  horses,  for  none  are 
employed,  the  only  danger  being  that  run  by  the  men,  so  surely 
this  kind  of  bull-fighting  ought  to  be  given  rank  as  a true  sport. 

The  horse  is  not  used  in  war  or  in  hunting  by  the  tailed  head- 
hunters, the  Kagoro  and  Kajji  possessing  but  few,  though  the 
Moroa  and  Attakka  have  a fair  number  brought  from  Zaria. 
They  are  about  thirteen  to  fourteen  hands  high,  and  are  rather 
weak,  though  sometimes  fairly  fast.  The  bridle  is  made  of  leather 

298 


OCCUPATIONS 


which  may  be  ornamented  with  brass;  there  is  no  bit,  but  a 
toothed  half-hoop  of  iron  passes  behind  the  animal’s  jaw  to  join 
a similar  half-hoop  above  the  nose,  so  that  it  can  be  tightened  by 
a pull  on  a rope  on  the  left  side  which  forms  the  rein.  The  saddle, 
if  any,  is  a goat-skin  tied  on  to  the  back,  but  some  of  the  pagans 
in  the  district  make  a cut  in  the  skin  over  the  backbone  about 
a foot  long,  and  open  it  out,  so  that  the  flesh  swells  up  and  forms 
a pad,  which,  after  a time,  seems  to  become  callous.  There  are 
no  mules  or  donkeys  amongst  the  head-hunters,  but  the  Hausa 
traders  make  use  of  the  latter  in  great  numbers. 

The  dog  is  used  as  an  article  of  food,  and  always  forms  part  of 
the  marriage  gift.  It  is  a poor  specimen — I fancy,  only  one  breed  ; 
they  all  look  the  same — but  since  it  is  a cur  it  makes  a good 
watch-dog  and  it  also  acts  as  a scavenger.  The  noise  these 
animals  make  in  some  towns  is  almost  unbearable ; one  can  hardly 
call  it  barking — though  that  word  may  describe  the  booming 
44  boo-woo’s  ” of  the  bigger  breeds — the  miserable  sounds  of  the 


curs  are  best  described  as  44  yauking.” 

No  animals  or  birds  are  used  for  game  fights,  but  a fowl  can 
act  as  deputy  for  a human  being  in  an  ordeal.  A fact  which  first 
struck  me  as  being  very  strange,  but  which  on  second  thoughts 
appeared  quite  natural,  was  that  animals  understood  only  the 
local  languages.  In  Amar  (Muri  province)  in  1906,  I bought 
a cow  from  some  Filani  people,  but  I could  get  no  milk  from  her, 
although  she  had  a calf  at  the  time,  the  excuse  given  by  my 
servants,  all  Hausa  boys,  being  that  44  the  cow  could  only  talk 
Filani,”  and  would  not  give  them  her  milk  because  she  did  not 
understand  them.  I,  of  course,  thought  that  the  real  reason  was 
laziness,  but  on  getting  a Filani  girl  from  the  barracks,  found  that 
the  animal  was  quite  tractable,  and  would  give  milk  in  plenty,  and 
as  the  other  servants  caught  and  held  the  cow,  their  work  was  not 
much  reduced.  This  would  not  be  enough  by  itself  to  prove  any- 
thing, for  the  Filani  girl  naturally  knew  much  more  about  the 
management  of  cattle  than  the  Hausa  boys  did,  but  I noticed  in 
1909  that  dogs  and  horses  procured  in  Moroa  were  quite  at  a loss 
when  told  to  44  Come  here  ” or  44  Gee  up  ” or  44  Whoa,”  and  when 
we  think  of  it,  if  English  pets  were  addressed  in  an  unknown 

299 


OCCUPATIONS 


tongue  they  would  not  comprehend,  so  there  seems  to  be  no  doubt 
about  the  matter.  After  all,  if  the  people  themselves  did  not 
understand  a foreigner’s  language,  it  is  hardly  likely  that  their 
animals  would  ! 

I do  not  know  whether  slave-dealing  ought  to  be  called  an 
occupation  or  not,  but  it  is  certainly  a very  profitable  profession 
to  many  of  the  experts  in  it.  While  I was  in  Lokoja  during 
1904-5,  the  police  captured  a good  many  culprits,  but  they  were 
not  more  than  a very  small  percentage  of  those  engaged  in  the 
trade.  One  test  I had  was  to  find  out  if  the  children  knew  the 
language  of  the  adults  professing  to  be  their  parents,  and,  as  this 
test  was  often  successful,  a school  was  formed  somewhere  in  the 
Bassa  province  where  children  brought  down  from  the  interior 
(usually  from  countries  in  the  Benue  region)  were  taught  the  new 
tongues,  and  told  how  cruel  we  were  to  any  children  whom  we 
took  from  their  purchasers,  being  in  reality  slave-dealers  our- 
selves. This  was  an  argument  which  the  children  readily  under- 
stood, for  did  they  not  know  that  every  strong  people  enslaved  a 
conquered  tribe  ? So  it  was  extremely  hard  to  get  any  evidence 
against  slavers  even  when  caught,  a difficult  task  considering  that 
the  native  quarter  of  Lokoja  was  a veritable  hot-bed  of  them. 

A good  deal  has  been  heard  of  the  cruelty  of  slavery,  though 
many  of  the  writers  imagine  that  the  institution  cannot  exist 
without  raids  on  villages  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  up  the  supply 
of  human  animals.  The  raids  certainly  are  cruel,  and  we  have 
almost  stopped  them  in  Northern  Nigeria,  but  it  is  very  difficult 
to  know  how  to  act  when  cases  occur  of  mothers  selling  their 
children  for  a couple  of  bags  of  guinea-corn,  as  actually  happened 
amongst  the  Bashima  of  Muri  during  their  famine  of  seven  years 
ago.  The  restoration  of  children  to  their  parents  would  mean 
that  they  would  be  again  sold,  to  leave  them  with  their  buyers 
did  not  seem  right,  so  a Freed  Slaves’  Home  was  established  for 
the  reception  of  these  little  orphans.  A certain  amount  of 
discipline  was  necessary,  of  course,  and  in  addition,  efforts  were 
made  to  teach  the  children  some  trade,  and  give  them  some  , 
education.  The  result  was  that  our  kindly  intentions  were  mis- 
construed, wilfully,  no  doubt,  in  many  cases,  and  that  we  were 

bOO 


OCCUPATIONS 


represented  as  being  rather  worse  than  the  slave-buyers  them- 
selves, since  we  did  not  even  pay  for  the  slaves  we  took  and 
forced  to  work,  and  that  we  taught  them  our  language  inZungeru 
just  as  the  slavers  had  taught  theirs  in  Bassa.  Our  justice,  too,  was 
open  to  question,  for  did  we  not  imprison  native  traders  although 
they  had  behaved  rather  better  than  we  had  done  ? There  were  also 
difficulties  in  the  way  of  discipline,  for  on  several  occasions  children 
were  prevailed  upon  by  interested  outsiders  to  run  away,  and  as 
iron  fences  had  to  be  erected,  and  the  home  when  removed  to 
Zungeru  was  almost  opposite  the  gaol,  invidious  comparisons  were 
drawn. 

It  therefore  became  the  custom  to  £ive  the  children  the  choice 
of  their  future  disposal,  that  they  should  be  sent  to  their  parents, 
to  the  Home,  or  that  they  should  remain  with  their  buyers,  and  in 
most  of  the  cases  which  came  to  my  notice,  the  last  alternative 
was  chosen.  A record  was  made,  however,  of  the  names  of  the 
child  and  the  owner,  a copy  being  sent  to  headquarters,  so  that 
the  latter,  now  guardian,  might  be  asked  to  produce  the  child  at 
any  time,  and  the  little  slave  was  told  that  if  the  owner  was  ever 
guilty  of  cruelty,  or  if  he  wanted  to  get  rid  of  him,  the  child  need 
only  complain  to  the  nearest  Whiteman  to  secure  his  freedom. 
And  I think  that  this  policy  has  worked  very  well,  for  it  is  very 
much  against  a trader’s  interest  to  treat  a child  badly,  both  because 
he  will  get  less  work  under  such  conditions  (even  an  ill-treated  horse 
will  not  be  satisfactory),  and  there  will  be  always  the  chance  of 
the  child  running  away  if  afraid  to  remain.  No  doubt  in  time  we 
shall  stamp  it  out,  but  where  the  parents  are  in  collusion  with 
the  traders,  and  the  children  are  terrified  of  the  Whiteman,  we 
have  to  work  under  great  difficulties. 

Under  Mohammedan  law  a slave  can  work  for  his  freedom  by 
requiring  his  master  to  allow  him  so  much  time  to  himself,  and 
cruelty,  especially  to  female  slaves,  is  often  punished  by  the  manu- 
mission of  the  slave  by  order  of  the  native  courts.  In  a great 
number  of  cases,  however,  the  slave  does  not  wish  to  free  himself, 
for  many  high  offices  are  open  to  him,  though  we  are  now  putting 
an  end  to  this  practice  because  the  proper  successors  were  thus 
often  deprived  of  their  rights.  Still  the  Filani  raids  were  very 

301 


OCCUPATIONS 

cruel,  and  some  of  the  pagan  customs  are  worse.  One  of  the  most 
obnoxious  kinds  of  slavery  is  that  of  pawning,  but  I do  not  know 
of  any  instances  in  Northern  Nigeria  which  equal  the  custom  at 
Akra  described  before.  We  are  trying  to  stamp  out  pawning 
as  well  as  slave  dealing,  and  in  fact  it  is  looked  upon  as  the  same 
offence,  but  we  cannot  accomplish  impossibilities,  and  we  have  to 
make  haste  slowly,  for  violent  changes  are  apt  to  produce  violent 
revolutions.  However,  the  public  may  rest  quite  satisfied  that 
the  Government  is  doing  its  best,  and  a very  good  best  too. 

It  will  surprise  many  to  hear  that  slavery  had  any  good  points, 
but  the  Chevalier  des  Marchais,  a French  traveller,  who  visited 
Cape  Mesurado  in  1724-25,  wrote  to  the  effect  that  certain  tribes  of 
the  Grain  Coast,  which  had  been  much  addicted  to  human  sacri- 
fices, stopped  them  when  they  found  that  their  victims  were 
marketable  commodities  which  could  be  sold  to  the  foreigners  with 
profit.  We  also  read  in  Liberia  (whence  the  foregoing  statement 
is  taken)  that  a Captain  Snelgrave,  who  was  engaged  in  the  supply 
of  slaves  to  the  West  Indies,  apparently  suggested,  like  many 
other  writers  during  that  century,  that  the  slave  trade  was  really 
a preservative  of  human  life,  since  it  offered  an  inducement  to  the 
savage  conquerors  to  spare  the  lives  of  their  prisoners,  in  order  to 
sell  them  into  a Christian  captivity  wherein  they  might  “ enjoy  all 
the  Church  privileges.1”  But  even  Benin,  the  City  of  Blood,  did 
not  kill  so  many  people  as  the  slave  raiders  did,  and  instead  of 
preserving  life,  it  may  be  that  slavery  made  it  so  cheap  as  to  give 
rise  to  “orgies  of  blood."” 

It  is  rather  strange  that  the  liberty-loving  Liberians,  and 
others  who  owe  their  present  position  to  our  philanthropy,  should 
so  abuse  it  as  to  be  guilty  of  the  very  crimes  from  which  they 
themselves  were  protected,  but  the  charge  is  made  by  Sir  Harry 
Johnston,  and  I give  the  references  ( Liberia , pp.  1079  and  1080), 
so  that  there  may  be  no  mistake.  “ It  is  clear,”  he  says,  “ that  a 
considerable  traffic  in  slaves  still  goes  on  between  Western  Liberia 
and  the  civilised  blacks  of  Sierra  Leone,  who  take  over  the  war 
captives  of  the  Buzi  and  Mandingo  tribes  as  labourers  and 
domestic  servants  at  a price  of  about  <£4  each.  . . . Undoubtedly 
the  system  of  apprentices  does  not  differ  markedly  from  a legalised 

302 


OCCUPATIONS 


slave-buying.  The  Liberian  planter,  we  will  say,  goes  inland,  and 
is  offered  boy  and  girl  or  adult  slaves  by  some  native  chief.  He 
pays  perhaps  from  £%  to  £ 3 value  in  trade  goods  for  each  human 
being,  and  to  satisfy  his  own  conscience  calls  them  apprentices.” 
Still  he  thinks  that  on  the  whole  they  are  better  treated  than  they 
were  when  in  the  interior.  I wonder — well,  never  mind,  but  if  so 
(and  the  writer  ought  to  know  Liberia  if  any  one  does)  cela 
donne  furieusement  a penser. 

I employed  a little  ruse  at  Amar  which  indirectly  stopped  a 
good  deal  of  the  traffic  down  the  Benue,  and  while  I was  there  the 
police  captured  a good  many  slavers.  I slept  for  several  nights  in 
the  Government  barge  near  one  bank  of  the  river,  but  in  the  open, 
so  that  I could  be  easily  seen,  and  on  the  other  side  was  a small 
canoe,  with  a police  patrol  hidden  amongst  the  bushes.  Any 
slavers  coming  down  at  night — the  best  time  to  pass  a Govern- 
ment station — naturally  tried  to  avoid  me,  and  to  sneak  along 
the  bank  on  the  other  side,  and  they  just  as  naturally  fell  into  the 
welcoming  arms  of  the  patrol.  An  official  has  to  play  many  parts 
during  his  life  in  West  Africa;  one  would  almost  imagine  that 
Shakespeare  (or  Bacon  ?)  had  been  there. 


303 


CHAPTER  XXII 


MODES  OF  TRAVELLING 

ONE  of  the  things  which  struck  me  most  when  a new-comer 
to  West  Africa,  was  the  number  of  different  ways  of 
travelling.  Not  that  the  methods  do  not  exist  elsewhere, 
for  they  do,  but  that  the  man  who  is  on  trek  has  to  get  over 
the  ground  in  many  various  ways  in  a short  space  of  time.  There 
are  thirteen  principal  modes,  and  most  of  these  are  capable  of 
subdivision  and  sometimes  of  combination,  and  in  case  attention 
has  not  been  directed  to  this  subject  before,  I give  a list : — 

On  Land — Walking.  Shanks’s  Pony  never  had  any  fascination 
for  me,  though  I have  no  objection  to  seeing  others  enjoy  themselves 
in  this  way,  and  am  quite  ready  to  believe  them  if  they  say  that 
it  does  them  good.  Even  on  level  ground  I find  it  very  uninter- 
esting, and  when  the  paths  are  narrow — as  they  generally  are — 
and  full  of  rain-water  or  stones,  and  the  march  commences  before 
daylight,  I have  often  wondered  if  I really  liked  being  in  West 
Africa;  and  when  the  path  went  up  hill  and  got  worse,  I was 
quite  sure  that  I did  not.  However,  there  is  a harrowing  story 
of  the  trials  and  tribulations  of  a trek  in  an  earlier  chapter,  so  I 
must  not  go  further  into  the  subject  now.  The  subdivisions  of 
this  section  would  be  running  and  limping,  both  equally  unplea- 
sant. I saw  an  amusing  cartoon  in  an  illustrated  paper  a 
couple  of  years  ago,  in  which  a lame  and  weary  member  of  the 
Territorials  (of  course,  they  are  always  the  butt  of  patriotic 
caricaturists)  is  depicted  as  asking  how  far  it  was  to  some  place 
or  other  where  the  camp  was.  “ Well,”  replied  his  informant, 
“ as  the  crow  flies,  it  is  about  nine  miles.”  “ Never  mind  ’ow 
’e  flies,”  said  the  weary  plodder,  for  all  “book-soldiers”  speak 
execrable  English,  “ ’ow  far  is  it  as  the  beggar  ’ops  ? ” One  often 
asks  himself  how  far  off  is  the  next  town  “ as  a man  limps.” 

304 


MODES  OF  TRAVELLING 

By  the  way,  that  makes  me  think  of  the  word  limp  in  another 
sense.  Why  is  it  that  many  men  who  spend  most  of  their 
time  in  hot  countries  feel  the  heat  here  in  England  more  than 
many  Londoners  ? I know  that  this  is  so  in  many  cases,  my  own 
amongst  them,  and  it  is  most  embarrassing  for  a traveller  who  has 
treated  his  friends  to  tales  about  lands  of  breathless  heat  to  find 
himself  feeling  quite  limp  when  the  thermometer  registers  under 
90°  in  the  shade  ! I have  played  lawn-tennis  on  an  asphalte  court 
in  Australia,  and  I have  marched  in  South  Africa,  on  days  when 
the  shade  records  approached  those  of  the  sun  in  London  in  an 
ordinary  summer,  and  yet  I did  not  feel  so  uncomfortable  there 
as  I have  here  when  the  thermometer  was  more  than  20°  lower. 
Before  I knew  New  York  or  London,  I used  to  be  greatly  amused 
at  the  thought  of  people  being  prostrated  during  a <c  heat  wave,” 
when  the  temperature  was  never  above  a point  which  would  be 
ridiculous  for  an  Australian  summer,  but  I can  understand 
it  now. 

No  doubt  a great  deal  is  due  to  the  fact  that  everything  in 
England  is  arranged  with  regard  to  rain  and  fogs.  In  an  Austra- 
lian  railway  compartment  the  seat-coverings  are  of  leather  (or  there 
may  be  no  cushions  at  all,  the  seats  being  of  wicker  work),  and 
six  large  windows  and  two  long  ventilators  admit  the  air ; in  Eng- 
land most  of  the  seats  are  covered  with  a red,  hot-looking  material 
(though  some  can  be  turned  over  to  present  a blue  leather  surface), 
and  there  is  only  one  miserable  aperture  on  each  side  which  can 
be  opened.  Here,  the  houses  are  apparently  built  with  the 
natural  object  of  allowing  none  of  the  heat  from  the  fires  to 
escape ; in  West  Africa  everything  opens  wide  to  the  breezes.  In 
London  any  one  turning  out  in  a white  helmet  and  duck  suit 
would  be  mobbed,  in  West  Africa  they  are  almost  universal — 
though,  strangely  enough,  not  in  the  southern  parts  of  Australia. 
Possibly  the  fact  that  the  natives  wore  so  much  white  made  shy 
Englishmen  more  ready  to  discard  the  conventional  attire  while 
on  the  coast,  and  to  teach  the  coloured  gentlemen  instead  how  to 
revel  in  the  delights  of  the  frock  coat  and  top  hat.  Again,  heat 
in  England  comes  almost  as  a shock,  for  no  one  is  prepared  for 
even  a sunny  day,  much  less  a hot  one,  whereas  in  lands  more 

305  u 


MODES  OF  TRAVELLING 


blessed  by  Helios,  one  looks  forward  to  more  brilliant,  if  more 
torrid,  weather,  and  he  is  prepared  accordingly. 

Being  carried . — This  may  be  either  on  a man’s  neck  or  on 
his  back,  and  neither  is  particularly  comfortable.  It  often 
happened  that  I was  ahead  of  my  horse  or  hammock,  and  arrived 
at  a narrow  and  shallow  stream  or  slough,  and  not  wishing  to  get 
wet,  nor  to  have  the  bother  of  undressing,  I commandeered  some 
luckless  carrier  or  other.  The  Yoruba  messenger  of  mine,  Ajai,  used 
to  rather  like  the  job,  and  as  he  was  as  strong  as  a horse,  and  had 
feet  about  as  large  as  snow-shoes,  I felt  quite  safe — but  there  were 
accidents  at  times.  If  you  ride  on  the  man’s  back  you  can  get  a good 
grip  on  his  shoulders  (you  should  not  fasten  your  arms  round  his 
neck),  but  if  sitting  on  his  neck  you  have  to  catch  hold  of  his  hair. 
This  is  a precarious  hold  at  any  time,  but  it  is  particularly  annoy- 
ing to  find  that  the  man  is  a Mohammedan  and  has  shaved  it  off, 
for  the  ears  are  not  always  quite  as  steady  as  handles,  and  to  grip 
his  nose  might  mean  confusing  him  ! 

You  may  also  be  carried  on  the  man’s  head,  though  this  is 
not  pleasant  to  anticipate,  for  it  happens  only  to  corpses  who  are 
rolled  up  in  stiff  mats,  and  are  u toted  ” by  one  or  two  men,  or 
to  newborn  children,  who  are  wrapped  up  in  a cloth  or  in  leaves, 
placed  in  a calabash,  and  brought  along  by  the  wretched  mother. 
I have  never  yet  seen  a man  carrying  a child  on  the  road,  and 
this  is  a little  strange,  for  fathers  are  usually  very  good  to  their 
children  when  in  their  own  houses.  No  doubt  the  arrangement 
by  which  the  women  stagger  along  under  heavy  loads,  while  the 
men  sometimes  even  ride  unconcernedly  by  them,  is  due  to  the 
old  necessity  for  the  males  to  be  prepared  to  defend  their  wives 
and  possessions  at  any  moment.  But  the  sight  now  is  not 
altogether  pleasing  to  the  European  eye.  I know  one  newly 
arrived  Resident  who,  when  he  saw  a woman  with  a load  walk- 
ing beside  a man  without  one,  made  the  latter  take  it.  The 
natives  did  not  understand  it,  neither  the  wife  nor  the  husband, 
and  no  doubt  directly  the  knight-errant  had  passed  she  took  it 
again.  At  Prahsu  I remember  seeing  the  mail-runners  come  in 
on  several  occasions — four  women,  each  laden  with  a bag,  and  the 
husband  with  a stick  to  drive  them  on. 

306 


Wet  Travelling 

The  Brama  Kwatta  (Ilorin  Province)  in  flood.  Waterproof  field-boots  are  very 
useful  on  these  occasions.  With  ordinary  boots  the.  traveller. has.  to  lift  his  legs 
up  high  on  the  horse’s  neck,  and  thus  runs  a greater  risk  of  falling  into  the  water. 


MODES  OF  TRAVELLING 

HammocMng. — One  may  either  lie  down  or  sit  up  in  a 
hammock,  there  being  a slight  difference  in  the  shape  of  the 
“ vehicle,”  according  to  whether  it  is  required  for  use  on  long 
treks  or  only  in  cantonments.  Personally  I rather  preferred  the 
big  hammock  even  to  horseback,  for  I could  start  at  any  time  in 
the  morning  and  finish  my  sleep  en  route  if  necessary.  I could 
read  while  going  along,  and  even  have  some  refreshment  handy — 
though  I always  took  care  to  have  a book  and  a meal  in  my 
saddle-bags  also.  An  air-pillow  is  quite  a good  institution  in  a 
hammock,  for  it  weighs  very  little,  and  adds  greatly  to  the 
comfort  of  travelling.  Care  must  be  taken  to  see  that  the 
head  end  of  the  hammock  is  higher  than  the  other,  and  that 
the  cross-sticks  are  wide  enough  to  give  plenty  of  room  for  the 
traveller  to  turn  over.  If  the  hammock-boys  are  used  to  the 
business  they  will  not  keep  step;  if  they  do  the  jolting  will 
be  awful,  for  the  hammock  will  swing  in  rhythm  ; while  if  the 
steps  be  broken  it  will  remain  very  much  steadier.  The  reason 
was  brought  home  to  me  in  a practical  way,  when  travelling  thus, 
why  the  military  text-books  lay  down  that  regiments  must  break 
step  when  marching  over  bridges — especially  suspension-bridges. 
It  is  impossible  for  even  two  men  to  pass  together  over  some  of 
the  tie-tie  bridges  on  account  of  the  rocking. 

Hammocks  are  not  used  in  Northern  Nigeria,  except  in  a 
couple  of  provinces  where  the  tsetse-fly  prevents  horses  living, 
or  when  on  patrols  for  the  transport  of  the  wounded,  but  in  the 
Coast  colonies  they  are  much  in  request.  It  is  a funny  sight  to 
see  a regiment  marching  out  with  the  European  officers  and  non- 
commissioned officers  in  hammocks ; and  funnier  still  to  see  it 
coming  back.  I remember  that  in  1901  we  used  to  go  from 
Wilberforce  to  be  inspected  on  the  parade-ground  behind  the 
(then)  West  India  barracks  on  Tower  Hill,  and,  after  performing 
wonderfully  intricate  movements  (which  would  not  have  been  of 
the  slightest  use  in  the  bush)  we  were  marched  off  home  in  great 
style.  The  hammocks  were  not  allowed  on  the  parade-ground, 
but  had  to  hide  outside,  and  directly  we  had  passed  the  gates  one 
officer  or  European  non-commissioned  officer  after  the  other  would 
drop  into  his  hammock  with  a sigh  of  relief,  and  be  wafted  back 

307 


MODES  OF  TRAVELLING 


to  barracks  to  the  strains  of  the  regimental  band.  That  was  a 
touch  of  real  West  Africa,  and  perhaps  we  entered  more  into  the 
native  mode  of  thought  then  than  at  any  other  time,  for  other 
people  were  working  all  around  while  we  were  lazing,  and  the  music 
after  the  fatiguing  drill  made  us  dreamily  imagine,  and  almost 
hope  for,  a time  when  this  might  go  on  for  ever.  Sometimes 
there  would  be  a nasty  awakening,  for  one  of  the  bearers  might 
dream  too,  and  stumble,  and  then  there  would  be  a disagree- 
able mixture  of  man  and  hammock,  which  was  made  none  the 
more  pleasant  because  of  the  remarks  of  the  bystanders,  for  crowds 
can  collect  as  quickly  in  Freetown  as  in  London.  But  usually 
the  lotus-eating  ceased  only  on  arrival  at  the  regiment’s  private 
parade,  and  after  dismissal  one  could  start  dreaming  again. 

When  not  tired,  the  hammock-boys  will  often  break  into  song 
— while  on  the  march  in  the  bush,  of  course,  not  when  with  a 
regiment  in  Freetown — and  it  is  interesting  to  listen  to  the 
different  notes  and  intervals,  some  of  the  airs  being  very 
pretty.  I used  to  encourage  them  to  sing  as  much  as 
possible,  for  I like  to  see  them  happy,  which  is  the  same 
in  their  case  as  being  natural ; but  one  thing  I cannot  stand 
is  to  hear  a native  whistling,  because  it  is  not  natural  to 
him. 

Riding. — The  horse,  the  camel,  the  donkey,  and  the  ox  are 
used  for  riding  in  West  Africa,  but  it  has  hitherto  been  found 
impossible  to  train  the  elephant  in  the  way  he  should  go 
(according  to  European  ideas),  and  this  seems  a pity,  as  he 
might  be  very  useful  in  bringing  heavy  timber  from  the  interior 
to  the  waterside,  timber  which  is  at  present  valueless  through 
lack  of  transport.  The  horse  is  used  a good  deal  in  Northern 
Nigeria,  and  is  supposed  to  have  been  brought  by  the  Hausas, 
though  they  do  not  ride  to  anything  like  the  extent  that  the 
Filani  do.  They  are  small  animals,  becoming  bigger  as  one 
goes  farther  and  farther  into  the  interior.  They  are  fairly 
tractable,  strong,  and  swift  under  our  treatment,  but  their  backs 
are  usually  in  a horrible  mess  when  owned  by  natives,  owing  to 
the  stiff  wooden  Hausa  (or  Filani?)  saddles  or  the  operations  of 
the  pagans,  and  sometimes  their  mouths  also. 

308 


MODES  OF  TRAVELLING 


The  camel  is  found  only  in  the  more  sandy  country,  and  I 
have  not  seen  nor  even  heard  of  one  nearer  to  the  coast  than 
Ghirku,  some  forty  miles  south  of  Zaria.  Having  heard  that 
they  are  most  unpleasant  animals  to  ride,  I was  not  anxious  to 
try,  but  I am  sorry  now,  as  it  is  generally  as  well  to  do  all  that 
can  be  done  when  in  a place,  not  only  because  one  may  never 
return  to  have  another  chance,  but  also  because  it  brings 
a stranger  more  into  touch  with  the  local  conditions,  and  all 
these  things  help  him  to  better  understand  the  natives  of  the 
place.  For  often  during  the  hearing  of  a case  in  court,  a strong 
point  is  made  of  some  particular  act  or  omission,  and  really  the 
whole  decision  should  rest  upon  it,  although  if  the  European  has 
no  first-hand  knowledge  of  the  conditions  under  which  it  should 
be  carried  out  he  may  not  be  at  all  impressed  with  its  importance. 

The  donkeys  are  very  small,  but  fairly  strong,  for  they  can 
carry  the  loads  of  two  men.  Personally  I think  they  are  a perfect 
nuisance,  and  although  described  by  some  authorities  as  an 
anachronism  and  an  anomaly  I very  much  prefer  carriers,  though 
when  passing  through  an  unpopulated  country  it  may  be  much 
easier  to  feed  animals  than  men,  so  sometimes  it  would  be  an 
advantage  to  have  donkeys.  However,  the  carriers  travel  very 
much  faster,  and  in  a hostile  country  they  would  be  able  to 
defend  themselves  to  some  extent,  many  of  the  carriers  being 
ex-soldiers  or  police,  whereas  the  donkeys  are  not  only  a source 
of  weakness  to  the  caravan,  but  an  actual  danger  in  that  they 
incite  an  attack. 

The  ox  is  not  very  much  ridden,  even  in  Northern  Nigeria, 
though  I have  seen  such  steeds,  and  they  are  common  amongst 
the  Beriberi  people,  I am  told.  Cattle  will  not  live  in  many  of 
the  districts  in  which  even  horses  will  exist,  though  the  boundary 
lines  are  fairly  close,  any  difference  at  all  being  due,  probably,  to 
the  fact  that  horses  can  always  be  housed  and  well  looked  after, 
whereas  it  would  be  quite  impossible  to  provide  shelter  for  herds 
of  cattle. 

Ricksha-driving . — Rickshas  are  to  be  seen  in  some  of  the  can- 
tonments, and  are  there  much  preferable  to  hammocks,  and,  in 
fact,  one  man  in  Northern  Nigeria  used  to  travel  long  distances  in 

309 


MODES  OF  TRAVELLING 

them.  He  is  now  dead,  poor  fellow,  but  I do  not  mean  to  say  that 
there  was  any  connection  between  the  events — that  one  was  the 
cause,  the  other  the  effect. 

Driving. — The  roads,  except  in  cantonments,  are  seldom  good 
enough  to  allow  of  driving,  and  even  where  they  are  well  made  it 
is  probable  that  horses  will  not  be  available.  Occasionally  one 
may  see  light  buggies,  but  on  the  whole  they  are  very  rare.  I 
made  a four-wheeled  cart  out  of  strong  boxes  at  Amar  in  1907, 
the  wheels  being  of  the  size  of  large  plates,  and  solid,  and  I tried 
to  train  my  pony  to  draw  it,  a man  marching  in  front,  one  on  each 
side,  and  two  at  the  back  hanging  on  to  a rope  tied  to  the  axle. 

I used  to  invite  the  other  Europeans  to  go  for  a drive  with  me, 
but  never  succeeded  in  persuading  any  of  them  to  risk  it,  and, 
although  justly  hurt  at  the  time,  I cannot  now  blame  them,  for 
although  I never  voluntarily  let  the  pony  go  beyond  a walk, 
whenever  I had  to  do  so  there  was  a regrettable  incident.  We 
know,  of  course,  that  the  origin  of  carts  was  a branch  of  a tree 
strapped  to  each  side  of  the  horse,  and  my  cart  must  have  been  a 
student  of  anthropology,  for  it  returned  as  often  as  possible  to  its 
primitive  form,  the  pony  “going  to  bush”  with  a broken  shaft 
hanging  on  to  each  side.  I tied  kerosene  tins  to  him  at  first  to 
accustom  him  to  the  noise  behind,  but  I must  regretfully  admit 
that  the  training  was  not  very  successful.  Even  my  own  ardour 
was  cooled  after  about  the  tenth  collision  with  trees,  and,  there 
being  no  available  wood  to  make  more  wheels,  what  was  left  of 
the  cart  was  used  as  a rubbish-box.  Driving  was  quite  a harmless 
form  of  amusement  (to  others)  while  it  lasted ; and  although  I 
never  managed  to  get  more  than  a few  hundred  yards  in  any  one 
day — there  was  seldom  time  between  the  repairs  for  more  than  a 
single  trip  daily — my  fame  travelled  far  and  wide,  though  I was, 
perhaps,  regarded  more  in  the  light  of  a Juju  than  of  a Jehu. 

Motoring. — Although  fairly  successful  in  Southern  Nigeria, 
according  to  the  Annual  Reports  (I  have  not  heard  the  passen- 
gers'* version,  which  may  possibly  be  very  different),  motor  lorries 
are  not  yet  in  much  request  in  Northern  Nigeria,  and  in  neither 
country  have  wre  advanced  to  the  taxi-cab  stage.  An  attempt  was 
made  to  run  motors  along  the  good  roads  near  Zungcru,  and  I 

310 


MODES  OF  TRAVELLING 

believe  they  often  went  for  even  more  than  a mile  at  a time,  but 
this  tropical  climate  does  not  seem  to  suit  them,  and  I venture  to 
doubt  if  they  will  ever  pay  well  enough  to  cover  the  necessary 
expenses.  Still,  there  is  no  harm  in  trying  them,  and  it  is  never 
safe  to  say  what  will  or  will  not  be  of  use  in  a new  country  until 
there  have  been  exhaustive  tests  under  as  favourable  conditions 
as  circumstances  will  allow,  tests  carried  out  by  persons  who  are 
capable  and  also  anxious  for  the  success  of  the  experiments. 

Railway  Travelling. — The  railway  is  the  great  juju  in  North 
Nigeria  at  present,  and  any  one  speaking  disrespectfully  of  it 
would  be  liable  to  all  sorts  of  pains  and  penalties ; in  fact,  such  an 
awful  thing  is  not  thought  of.  Probably  it  will  be  one  of  the 
least  comfortable  of  the  modes  of  travelling,  if  the  tramway  from 
Wushishi  to  Zungeru  be  any  criterion,  but  it  is  perhaps  not  quite 
fair  to  compare  them.  The  officers  there  used  to  travel  in  a truck 
with  a roof  and  open  sides  protected  by  wire  gauze  (to  keep  off 
the  sparks  from  the  engine),  which  was  disrespectfully  called  the 
“ meat  safe.”  Unfortunately,  the  meat  was  not  always  safe,  for 
sparks  used  to  get  in  somehow  and  burn  holes  in  clothes,  as  I once 
found  to  my  cost. 

The  great  public  enthusiasm  of  the  higher  officials  over  the 
completion  of  the  railway  has  always  been  accompanied  by  a 
private  suspicion,  in  the  case  of  the  more  humble  individuals,  that 
the  allowance  of  personal  baggage  now  taken  by  carriers  at 
Government  expense  will  be  reduced,  and  that  the  officials  will  be 
made  to  pay  more  for  their  transport  than  they  do  at  present. 
Still,  that  is  a personal  matter,  and  not  of  very  great  importance, 
and  there  is  no  doubt  that  for  imperial  and  commercial  reasons, 
which  I have  given  in  The  Niger  and  the  West  Sudan , the  line 
was  badly  wanted,  and  the  wonderful  rate  of  progress  made  shows 
that  the  hearts  of  those  superintending  the  construction  were  in 
their  work.  The  idea  of  the  line  was  due  to  Sir  Frederick  Lugard, 
although  it  is  often  wrongly  attributed  to  another  Governor  who 
spent  but  little  time  in  the  country,  and  he  must  be  pleased  with 
its  fruition.  It  is  always  pleasant  to  be  able  to  chronicle  British 
success,  and  the  fact  that  the  rate  of  building  by  us  has  on  this 
occasion,  and  on  others,  far  eclipsed  the  best  that  other  Powers 

311 


MODES  OF  TRAVELLING 


were  capable  of  is  something  to  be  proud  of.  And  in  the  “ us  ” I 
do  not  include  myself,  for  I had  nothing  to  do  with  it,  unfor- 
tunately. Perhaps,  in  spite  of  the  defeats  in  athletics,  there  is  life 
in  the  old  Lion  yet. 

I have  mentioned  that  the  original  conveyance  consisted 
simply  of  a pair  of  shafts,  and  it  may  be  of  interest  to  briefly 
trace  the  development  of  our  smaller  carriages.  And,  first,  we 
must  remember  that  although  most  uncivilised  peoples  are  un- 
acquainted with  any  form  of  vehicle,  the  absence  of  one  does  not 
necessarily  indicate  a low  level  of  culture,  for  there  are  many 
peoples  fairly  well  advanced,  such  as  the  Filani,  whose  special 
circumstances  do  not  permit  the  use  of  wheeled  transit. 

The  earliest  vehicle,  says  Dr.  Deniker,  resembled  that  seen 
amongst  the  prairie  Indians  of  to-day,  viz.  two  branches  attached 
to  the  sides  of  a horse  so  that  they  form  inclined  planes,  the 
driver  sitting  on  the  baggage,  which  is  bound  to  the  trunks 
behind  the  horse.  It  is  supposed  that  one  day  one  of  the 
branches  or  poles  broke,  and  that  there  was  consequently  greater 
ease  in  draught  and  an  increase  in  speed,  and  soon  separate  poles 
were  placed  horizontally  upon  the  ground,  being  loosely  attached 
to  the  inclined  poles  (which  now  became  shafts),  and  as  soon  as 
cross-pieces  had  been  affixed  to  the  horizontal  poles  we  got  the 
sledge,  the  sole  means  of  locomotion  even  to-day  in  Russian 
forests. 

But  in  some  countries  there  were  further  developments,  for 
the  advantage  of  long  rollers  was  discovered,  and  these  are  often 
used  now  when  moving  heavy  articles  for  a short  distance.  But 
the  disadvantage  of  these  was  the  time  lost  in  having  to  rearrange 
the  rollers  at  short  intervals,  and  so  permanent  rollers  were  fixed 
to  the  vehicle,  as  can  be  seen  in  our  present  steam-rollers.  These 
rollers  were  very  heavy,  however,  and  steps  were  taken  to  lighten 
them,  and  it  soon  became  apparent  that  slices  from  the  outside 
edges  did  quite  as  well  as  the  whole  rollers,  and  so  we  got  wheels. 
Some  vehicles  had  only  one  (the  wheelbarrow),  most  had  two — 
and  we  see  many  nowadays,  descendants,  perhaps,  of  the  old 
chariots.  Others  had  three,  represented  to-day  by  the  tricycle 
and  tri-car,  though  many  more  had  four,  known  to  Europe  as 

312 


MODES  OF  TRAVELLING 


early  as  the  bronze  age,  it  is  said,  while  we  have  even  heard  of 
the  “ fifth  wheel  of  a coach.11  A fifth  wheel  (except  when  kept 
in  reserve)  is  not  regarded  as  an  improvement,  so  we  evidently 
imagine  that  we  have  reached  the  limit,  except  as  regards  railway 
carriages.  The  next  steps  were  to  do  away  with  the  jarring,  and 
great  improvements  were  made  by  having  the  wheels  higher,  by 
the  introduction  of  springs,  and  later  still  by  the  invention  of 
pneumatic  tyres.  The  reduction  of  friction,  too,  had  to  be 
considered,  better  workmanship  and  the  fitting  of  ball-bearings 
accomplishing  a great  deal  in  this  way,  and  with  these  improve- 
ments and  the  higher  wheels  came  an  increase  in  the  speeds 
attainable. 

One  wonders  what  the  next  changes  will  be  in  our  smaller 
carriages,  for  of  course  there  are  many  developments  still  ahead 
of  us.  It  is  probable  that  the  improvements  will  be  more  in  the 
way  of  making  use  of  lighter  building  materials,  further  reduction 
of  the  friction,  and  the  employment  of  superior  motive  power, 
than  in  the  shape  of  the  vehicle,  or  in  the  addition  of  wheels.  In 
fact,  the  bicycle  (which  is  almost  equal  to  a double  wheelbarrow) 
and  the  mono-rail  seem  to  indicate  that  we  shall  have  fewer  wheels 
instead  of  more  if  there  is  to  be  any  change  at  all  in  this  respect. 

On  the  Water — Swimming.  It  is  not  at  all  pleasant  in  the 
early  morning  to  come  upon  a deep  river  and  find  that  there 
are  no  canoes  to  be  had  for  love  or  money ; in  fact  I might 
go  even  further  and  say  that  the  idea  of  a plunge  into  the  cold 
unknown  before  the  sun  is  up  is  extremely  unpleasant,  and  it 
is  even  worse  in  the  rain.  But  there  is  often  no  help  for  it,  and 
sooner  or  later  one  has  to  peel  off  his  clothes  and  go  in,  and 
when — as  usually  happens  on  an  ordinary  march — many  of  the 
natives  of  the  caravan  are  women,  it  is  exceedingly  embarrassing, 
and  the  natural  hesitation  at  disrobing  is  made  all  the  greater. 
However,  the  natives  will  probably  take  no  notice  unless  their 
attention  is  specially  attracted,  and  I have  usually  managed  to 
get  across  without  creating  any  great  excitement.  But  I 
remember  when  travelling  to  Zaria  once  with  a man,  nicknamed 
on  account  of  the  magnificent  proportions  of  his  lower  chest, 
Maitumbi  (4<  the  owner  of  the  stomach ”),  that  his  arrival  at  the 

313 


MODES  OF  TRAVELLING 

waterside  was  eagerly  awaited  by  the  whole  party,  and  the 
“plomp”  he  made  when  he  slipped  into  the  water  was  greeted 
with  loud  and  frantic  applause.  One  of  the  carriers  who,  as  luck 
would  have  it,  was  swimming  with  my  luncheon-basket  on  his 
head,  turned  around  to  look,  and  became  so  overcome  with 
excitement  that  he  opened  his  mouth  to  cheer,  promptly  got  it 
full  of  water,  and  let  the  load  go  to  the  bottom  ! And  the  filthy 
mixture  of  mud,  biscuit,  sugar,  and  other  dainties  exposed  to 
view,  when  the  basket  was  fished  up  an  hour  or  so  later,  quite 
cured  any  remains  of  an  appetite  that  I had — it  was  pot  pourri 
in  many  senses. 

There  are  many  ways  of  swimming  these  streams,  and  a 
European  seldom  tries  to  cross  unaided,  for  after  a few  months 
in  the  tropics  his  heart  will  not  stand  much  violent  exercise, 
especially  in  the  water,  and  as  the  currents  are  usually  very 
swift  and  strong  in  the  wet  season  he  would  not  have  much  chance 
were  his  strength  to  give  out.  In  the  big  rivers,  too,  there  are 
crocodiles,  so  the  larger  the  party  and  the  more  noise  that  is 
made  the  better  for  one’s  safety. 

The  people  living  on  the  river  banks  are  usually  adepts  at 
ferrying  and  swimming,  as  is  natural,  for  they  make  their  living 
out  of  the  water.  And  no  doubt  the  right  of  taking  the  fees  is 
held  in  many  cases  by  particular  families,  though  there  may  be 
a special  appointment  of  Sa(r)rikin  Rqfi  (“  Chief  of  the  Stream,” 
not  Sa(f)rikin  Rua,  a mythical  beast  also  called  Dodo),  at  the 
disposition  of  the  chief  of  the  town  or  district.  These  men 
usually  have  watertight  gourds  tied  to  each  end  of  a short  string, 
forming  a dumb-bell-shaped  apparatus,  and  one  can  straddle  the 
string  and  get  across  by  treading  the  water  and,  perhaps,  by 
paddling  with  the  hands  as  well,  or  he  may  be  pulled  over  by  one 
of  the  watermen  swimming  alongside  of  him.  Or,  again,  he  may 
dispense  with  the  gourds,  and  simply  hold  on  to  the  waterman’s 
shoulder  or  loin-cloth. 

“Transport  by  water  has  undergone  more  important  trans- 
formations than  vehicular  transport,”  says  Dr.  Deniker.  “ From 
the  air-filled  leather  bottle  on  which,  after  the  manner  of  the 
ancient  Assyrians,  rivers  are  still  crossed  in  Turkestan  and  Persia, 

314 


MODES  OF  TRAVELLING 


to  elegant  sailing  yachts;  from  the  primitive  reed  rafts  of  the 
Egyptians  and  the  natives  of  Chinese  Turkestan  to  the  great 
ocean  liners,  there  are  numberless  intermediate  forms.”  I do  not 
think  that  any  one  watching  the  gourds  in  Northern  Nigeria 
would  at  once  connect  them  with,  say,  the  Campania , or  the 
“ dug-outs  ” with  the  Dreadnought , though  he  might  by  a brain- 
wave think  of  them,  and  wish  he  could  exchange  the  prototypes 
for  their  descendants. 

By  Raft. — Those  who  object  to  the  pleasures  of  swimming 
may  make  a raft,  but  it  does  not  necessarily  follow  that  they  will 
keep  dry,  for  there  is  always  a possibility  of  a slip  between  the 
two  banks,  and  it  is  seldom  that  a European  can  board  his  raft 
direct  from  the  shore.  Some  men  try  to  float  across  in  their  tin 
baths,  but  this  is  seldom  satisfactory,  as  they  usually  convert 
what  is  meant  as  a hip-bath  into  a plunge.  On  the  Ninzam 
patrol  we  used  tents,  and  large  wooden  dishes,  about  six  feet 
in  length,  made  to  hold  palm-oil — perhaps,  though,  these  ought 
to  be  classed  with  canoes.  A tent  is  converted  in  the  following 
manner : — A hole  is  dug  in  the  ground,  about  three  feet  by  three 
feet,  and  one  foot  or  eighteen  inches  deep.  The  outer  fly,  which 
must  have  no  holes,  is  then  spread  in  this  (double  if  the  tent  be 
large),  and  grass,  as  long  and  as  dry  as  possible,  is  packed  into  it 
so  as  to  preserve  the  shape  of  the  whole.  The  ends  of  the  fly  are 
then  folded  over  as  far  as  they  will  go,  and  tied  with  the  tent 
ropes,  the  whole  forming  a square  block  which  is  then  removed 
and  placed  in  the  water.  If  the  grass  be  long  and  dry,  the  block 
will  be  quite  three-parts  out  of  water,  for  there  will  be  plenty  of 
air  space,  and  the  sides  will  be  kept  apart ; but  short  and  wet 
grass  is  not  very  satisfactory,  for  it  is  heavier  and  less  stable. 

This  raft  is  usually  pushed  across  by  men  swimming  alongside, 
but  I found  it  much  better  to  tie  a couple  of  loose  strings  to  one 
corner,  and  to  give  these  to  two  of  the  swimmers  to  hold  in  their 
mouths,  and  pull  in  that  way,  there  being  by  this  means  a steady 
tension  instead  of  a series  of  jerks.  It  is  a safer  way,  too,  for  the 
swimmers,  not  being  steady  in  the  water,  are  apt  to  push  more 
violently  than  they  intend  to  at  times,  and,  as  the  passenger 
is  squatting  on  the  top  of  the  bundle,  and  the  centre  of  gravity 

315 


MODES  OF  TRAVELLING 


is  high  out  of  the  water,  the  equilibrium  is  anything  but  stable. 
Another  advantage  is  that,  whereas  pushing  tends  to  make  the 
raft  go  round  and  round,  the  strings  will  keep  it  right  end  first. 

If  there  be  no  tent,  and  no  bath,  perhaps  logs  can  be  used,  or 
some  other  material ; at  any  rate  some  one  or  other  of  the  local 
natives  will  know  what  to  do,  even  if  there  is  no  experienced 
European  in  the  party.  I think  one  great  advantage  of  travelling 
in  these  new  countries  is  that  a man  is  continually  thrown  on  his 
own  resources,  and  no  doubt  the  thought  that  one  has  overcome 
difficulties  is  one  of  the  greatest  charms  of  West  Africa — diffi- 
culties which  would  appear  enormous  if  one  read  of  them  in  the 
average  story-book,  though  not  really  so  bad  when  properly 
tackled.  These  checks  are  an  awful  nuisance  when  one  is  in  a 
hurry,  but  otherwise  the  ridiculous  incidents  which  are  certain  to 
occur  usually  smooth  over  a great  deal  of  the  hardship ; there  is 
always  something  to  laugh  at  if  one  be  on  the  lookout  for 
amusement. 

By  Canoe . — However,  in  some  places  there  are  canoes  to  be 
had ; in  fact,  they  are  almost  always  available  on  the  big  rivers 
when  unfordable,  and  it  is  only  in  inland  districts  that  one  would 
like  to  be  a fish  at  times.  The  canoes  are  of  various  sizes,  though 
as  each  is  usually  hollowed  out  of  a single  tree — and  is  therefore 
called  a “dug-out11 — the  main  idea  of  the  construction  is  the 
same.  Mats  are  often  placed  tent-wise  over  the  after-part  of  the 
larger-sized  canoes  as  a shelter,  and  these  are  transferred  to 
the  shore  to  act  as  bedrooms  at  night. 

Cooking  on  board  a narrow  wooden  canoe  sounds  dangerous, 
but  it  is  made  possible  by  sprinkling  sand  on  the  bottom  of  the 
vessel,  and  lighting  the  fire  on  this,  three  stones  holding  the  pots 
in  place.  Three  stones  are  always  used  (except  where  the  native 
blacksmiths  have  copied  our  iron  stands),  never  four;  at  least  I 
have  never  seen  four,  and  I suppose  this  is  because  they  are  much 
easier  to  arrange,  for  the  level  of  the  pot  can  be  regulated  by 
altering  the  position  of  only  one  out  of  three  stones,  while  if  there 
are  four,  two,  or  perhaps  even  three,  must  be  moved.  That  no 
number  greater  than  three  is  thought  proper  or  necessary  is 
shown  by  the  riddle,  Uln,  vku , gamma  ga(?')ri,  “Three,  three, 


MM 


A Native  Canoe 

Most  canoes  have  a platform  at  each  end  for  a poler,  but  this  has  only  one  at  the  stern.  The 
shelter  (of  palm  fibre)  covers  the  trader’s  goods  by  day  and  is  used  as  a tent  by  night. 


A Kajji  Joint-Family  Residence 


The  house  of  the  Chief  of  Mersaand  his  family.  Note  the  stool  with  a handle,  and  the  granary 
with  a circular  entrance  for  fowls  to  the  right  of  the  photograph.  See  p.  132. 


MODES  OF  TRAVELLING 


complete  the  town,”  the  answer  to  which  is  murufu , a 44  cooking- 
place.”  The  mode  of  propulsion  is  usually  poling  in  shallow 
water,  paddling  in  deep;  and  when  proceeding  up-stream  the 
canoe-men  usually  hug  the  shore,  but  when  coming  down,  the 
middle  of  the  river  is  preferred  in  order  to  get  the  full  benefit  of 
the  current. 

Canoes  are  often  damaged,  of  course,  and  the  rough  iron 
rivets  used  in  repairing  them  look  anything  but  satisfactory  to 
the  European  eye  ; but  when  the  splits  are  only  sezvn  with  fibre 
the  repairs  seem  even  more  unsafe,  yet  both  these  modes  must 
answer  well  on  the  whole,  or  some  other  would  have  been  invented. 
Some  of  the  canoes  will  hold  horses  as  well  as  men.  I came  from 
Mozum  to  Lokoja  once  with  a horse  and  about  thirty  natives  on 
board,  and  yet  there  was  plenty  of  room  for  me  in  the  sheltered 
part.  The  usual  way  of  getting  a horse  over  a river  where  there 
is  no  ferry  is  to  make  him  swim,  a waterman  swimming  in  front 
or  else  sitting  in  a canoe.  In  the  latter  case  care  must  be  taken 
that  the  horse  is  down-stream  from  the  canoe,  else  he  may  be 
swept  under  it  and  drowned.  Horses  are  usually  much  afraid  of 
water,  and  are,  I believe,  easily  drowned,  but  as  I never  lost  any 
in  that  way  I cannot  state  this  as  a fact  on  my  own  authority. 
Two  of  Maitumbi’s  animals  were  drowned  in  the  Kaduna  when 
on  the  trek  mentioned  before,  but  they  were  ahead,  and  I do 
not  know  the  circumstances. 

By  Barge  or  Punt. — This  may  be  only  a ferry,  attached  to  a 
wire,  and  square  in  shape,  or  it  may  be  more  like  a canoe  run  to 
fat,  and  intended  for  travelling  on  the  river,  where  it  is  poled  along. 
This  is  very  pleasant  when  there  is  plenty  of  room,  and  a man 
alone  in  a barge  is  usually  quite  comfortable.  But  when  over- 
crowded it  is  very  much  the  other  way,  for  not  only  is  there  but 
little  room  for  the  Europeans,  but  the  different  sets  of  servants 
are  usually  quarrelling,  and  I suppose  eighty  per  cent,  of  the 
quarrels  between  white  men  on  the  coast  are  the  result  of  some 
act  of  a servant  of  one  or  other  of  them. 

Barges  are  not  much  used  below  Lokoja,  nor  are  they  often 
seen  in  any  of  the  main  streams  during  the  rains;  but  in  the  dry 
season  they  are  the  usual  mode  of  transport  on  the  rivers,  as  they 

317 


MODES  OF  TRAVELLING 

draw  only  a few  inches.  They  are  supposed  to  do  about  twenty 
miles  against  stream,  and  double  that  when  coming  down  with  it. 

By  Swine. — I do  not  mean  that  the  passengers  are  66  road- 
hogs,”  nor  even  water-hogs;  this  is  a native  corruption  of  the  name 
Swan , which  was  given  to  the  first  two'  steam  barges  in  Northern 
Nigeria,  and  it  has  proved  so  appropriate  that  it  now  applies  even 
to  beautiful  new  vessels  (to  quote  the  style  of  the  Annual  Report) 
called  Zaria,  &c.  They  are  single  stern- wheelers,  the  boilers  being 
fore  and  the  engines  aft,  and  steam-pipes  run  back  in  some  at  the 
height  of  one’s  head,  in  others  level  with  his  knees,  so  that  the 
wretched  passenger  is  usually  burnt  a few  times  somewhere  or 
other  during  a long  journey.  There  is  a half-deck  above,  and  as 
it  is  almost  on  a level  with  the  smoke-stack  one  can  have  quite 
a good  time  at  small  expense  catching  the  sparks  that  fly. 
Very  often  the  passenger  does  this  involuntarily,  or  rather  his 
clothes  do. 

A larger  development  is  the  double  stern-wheeler,  the  apo- 
theosis of  which  is,  I suppose,  the  Corona , the  Governor’s  yacht,  a 
three-decker,  and  hardly  ever  used,  or  able  to  be  used,  until  lately. 
This  boat  is  extremely  comfortable  when  running,  but  some  of 
the  smaller  ones  are  not,  as  there  are  no  cabins,  and  when  several 
Europeans  are  travelling  together  and  each  has  his  baggage  on 
the  tiny  deck  the  scene  of  confusion  is  lamentable.  “ The  upper 
deck  is  provided  for  the  recreation  and  comfort  of  the  passen- 
gers,” according  to  the  official  General  Standing  Orders,  but  one  is 
rather  inclined  to  wonder  where  the  comfort  comes  in  when  these 
boats  are  overcrowded,  as  they  usually  are,  the  only  space  between 
the  travellers  being  occupied  by  mosquitoes.  I think  there  must 
be  some  doubts  in  the  marine  mind  also  about  this,  for  in  the 
Annual  Report  for  1908  the  river  transport  is  described  as  being 
somewhat  unsatisfactory.  There  is  no  doubt  about  the  recrea- 
tion ; one  has  to  be  a gymnast  to  get  about  at  all. 

By  Steamer. — Last  is  the  steamer,  and  though  I am  informed  on 
credible  authority  that  quite  two  out  of  three  small  cargo  boats 
can  get  to  Baro,  the  railway  port  on  the  Niger,  a good  many 
manage  to  decorate  the  rocks  at  various  intervals.  The  passenger 
steamers  are  now  too  large  to  come  past  Burutu,  and  as  the  old 

318 


MODES  OF  TRAVELLING 


oil-tanks  are  being  gradually  replaced  by  new  boats  of  a superior 
class,  the  passenger  from  West  Africa  has  on  the  whole  nothing 
to  complain  about  if  he  travels  in  one  of  Elder-Dempster’s  best 
vessels.  Certainly  it  is  a very  welcome  sight  at  the  end  of  a long 
tour,  and  the  relief  at  being  able  to  rest  in  peace,  and  to  know 
that  there  will  be  plenty  of  clean  food  ready  at  the  proper  time 
without  any  worry  on  one’s  own  part,  is  almost  too  great  to  be 
described. 

These  are  the  principal  modes  of  travelling  in  Northern 
Nigeria ; there  may  be  aeroplanes  before  long,  but  at  present  the 
only  airy  flights  one  can  indulge  in  are  those  of  fancy,  and  they 
are  much  too  complicated  to  be  described  in  detail,  especially 
when  they  are  the  result  of  fever. 

The  native  in  charge  of  every  stern-wheeled  boat,  whether  a 
swine  (I  mean  the  boat)  or  not,  is  always  called  44  Captain,”  and  it 
is  perhaps  interesting  to  note  how  large  a number  of  the  white 
officials  have  this  rank.  A great  many  of  them  have  had  previous 
military  service,  and  the  experience  has  naturally  been  of  great 
utility  to  them  afterwards,  but  why  should  they  all  have  stuck 
at  the  grade  of  captain  ? There  is  sometimes  a little  jealousy 
between  subalterns  of  the  regulars  and  captains  of  the  auxiliary 
forces,  even  in  West  Africa,  though  this  is  usually  confined  to 
new  arrivals,  and  I remember  once  hearing  a very  junior  officer, 
who  had  never  before  been  out  of  England,  very  badly  sat  upon. 

44  What  wonderful  titles  men  have  got  out  here,”  said  the 
budding  general,  although  he  ought  to  have  known  better,  con- 
sidering that  he  himself  had  been  advanced  to  the  local  rank  of 
lieutenant,  pro  tem .,  44 1 wonder  that  they  are  allowed  to  call  them- 
selves 4 Captain  ’ when  they  do  not  belong  to  the  army.  I should 
call  them  4 Hedge-row  Captains.’  ” 

44  They  call  themselves  by  the  rank  which  they  held  on  active 
service,”  was  the  reply,  44  and  since  a soldier’s  real  work  is  fighting 
in  hostile  country,  and  not  merely  drilling  on  a peaceful  parade- 
ground,  I do  not  think  they  will  worry  much  over  the  opinion  of 
a 4 Cease-fire  Subaltern  ’ like  yourself!  ” 


319 


CHAPTER  XXIII 


HAUSA  FOLKLORE 

I SUPPOSE  no  book  on  any  part  of  West  Africa  would  be 
complete  without  some  reference  to  the  folklore  of  the 
country,  and  this  is  especially  the  case  with  Northern  Nigeria 
and  the  Gold  Coast,  where  the  Hausawa,  or  as  we  call  them,  the 
Hausas,  are  found.  During  my  last  tour  I collected  about  150 
new  tales,  and  I could  have  quadrupled  the  number  with  ease  had 
I not  had  so  much  other  work  to  do. 

Whether  these  people  are  indigenous,  or  whether  they  are 
a mixture  of  Berbers  and  local  Negroes,  or  (as  I think)  of  Berbers, 
Arabs,  and  Negroes  from  the  south-west  of  Egypt,  need  not  be 
argued  here,  for  I have  already  written  on  the  subject  in  The 
Niger  and  the  West  Sudan , but  some  points  are  worth  noting. 

Their  original  country  is  what  is  now  Northern  Nigeria,  and  it 
consisted  at  one  time  of  seven  States,  the  Hama  Bokkoi  (<£  Hausa 
Seven  ”),  where  the  true  tongue  was  spoken,  to  which  seven  others, 
the  Banza  Bokkoi  (“  False  Seven  ”),  were  afterwards  added.  About 
one-third  of  the  vocabulary  of  this  language  is  composed  of 
Arabic  words,  but  the  origin  of  the  rest  is  still  in  doubt,  though 
there  seems  to  be  some  connection  between  the  Hausa  and  the 
Coptic  grammars.  About  a.d.  1000  the  Hausa  States  were 
conquered  by  an  alien  race,  probably  of  mixed  origin,  and  coming 
from  the  east,  the  new-comers  bringing  the  horse  with  them,  and 
these  people  ruled  the  country  until  they  in  turn  were  subdued 
by  the  Filani  in  the  early  part  of  last  century. 

The  Hausas  have  not  the  finely  chiselled  features  of  the  Filani 
nor  yet  the  very  thick  lips  and  flat  noses  of  the  Coast  Negro ; they 
are  rather  short  and  stumpy,  and  have  woolly  hair.  They  are 
good  agriculturists,  and,  as  a people,  are  more  inclined  for  peace 
than  for  war,  though  individually,  they  are  fine  fighters  when 

320 


HAUSA  FOLKLORE 


properly  led.  They  are  also  the  traders  par  excellence  of  West 
Africa,  always  extending  their  sphere  of  operations,  and  are  noted 
for  their  success  in  being  able  to  drive  hard  bargains. 

They  are  very  fond  of  tales  and  proverbs,  and  almost  every 
well-known  animal  or  bird,  and  nearly  every  trade  or  profession, 
is  represented  in  the  folklore  of  the  people;  and  as  many  animals 
can  change  themselves  into  human  beings,  according  to  their  ideas, 
it  is  not  surprising  to  find  that  they  are  supposed  to  follow  the 
same  pursuits.  I hope  to  publish  a book  later  which  will  give 
a fairly  complete  idea  of  the  tales,  but  in  a single  chapter  one 
can  only  point  out  some  of  the  general  characteristics,  and  I will 
confine  these  remarks  to  tales  about  animals.  By  the  way,  the 
name  should  be  spelt  Hausa,  and  pronounced  How-za,  not 
Houssa,  which  is  the  French  rendering. 

The  spider  ( gizzo ) is  the  king  of  cunning  and  craftiness,  and, 
after  each  tale,  the  narrator  excuses  himself  for  the  untruths  that 
he  has  necessarily  told,  by  saying  that  they  have  been  told  in  the 
name  of  this  insect.  The  spider  is  nicknamed  Maiwayo , the  crafty 
one,  and  at  various  times  he  is  shown  as  outwitting  the  different 
animals  and  even  man,  though  he  does  not  seem  quite  the  equal 
of  an  old  woman.  Many  of  his  victims  pay  him  out  in  the  end, 
but  he  usually  escapes  because  of  his  having  procured  a charm  for 
popularity  from  a Mohammedan  mallam,  or  learned  man,  in  the 
following  way  : — 

The  Mallam,  the  Spider,  and  the  Hyena 
This  is  about  a certain  Learned  Man  and  his  Horse.  He 
started  from  Zaria  to  go  to  the  city  of  Kano,  but,  being  tired, 
he  dismounted  and  rested  at  the  foot  of  a tamarind  tree.  Soon 
afterwards  the  Hyena  came  along,  and,  seeing  the  Mallam,  said, 
44  O Learned  One,  there  is  an  Animal  over  yonder  which  has  died ; 
will  you  not  lend  me  your  Horse  so  that  I may  get  there  quickly  ? ” 
And  the  Learned  Man  said,  44  Certainly,  get  on  his  back,  O 
Hyena.”  Then  the  Hyena  said,  44  Many  thanks,  but  let  me  first 
take  off  the  saddle  and  leave  it  here.” 

When  she  had  taken  it  off,  she  led  the  Horse  away,  and,  when 
she  had  led  him  to  her  den,  she  killed  him  and  her  Cubs  ate  him. 

321  x 


HAUSA  FOLKLORE 


The  Learned  Man  waited  and  waited,  but  there  was  no  sign 
of  the  Hyena  nor  of  the  Horse,  and  he  sat  there  at  a loss  what 
to  do.  Just  then  the  Spider  came  along,  and  said,  44  O Learned 
Man,  what  are  you  doing  here  ?”  He  said,  44 1 am  at  a loss  what 
to  do ; I have  lost  my  Horse  which  I was  to  have  ridden  to  Kano.” 
Then  the  Spider  said,  44  But  here  is  a saddle,  how  is  it  you  have 
no  Horse  to  ride  ? ” The  Mallam  replied, 44  The  Hyena  came  and 
led  away  the  Horse  to  her  den.”  Then  the  Spider  said,  44  Look 
here,  I am  going  to  bring  the  Hyena  to  you  at  once ; I shall 
girth  on  the  saddle,  I shall  put  on  the  bridle,  and  you  shall 
mount  her  and  go  to  the  city  of  Kano.  If  I do  this  for  you 
will  you  give  me  a charm  for  popularity  in  return  ? ” And  the 
Mallam  gave  the  required  promise. 

Then  the  Spider  got  up  and  went  to  the  Hyena’s  den,  and 
called  out,  44  Hyena,  you  are  wasting  a splendid  opportunity ; 
there  is  a free  feed  to  be  had  quite  near  here,  yet  you  are  at 
home  doing  nothing ! ” Then  the  Hyena  replied,  44  Is  it  true, 

O Spider ; has  some  Animal  really  died  there  P Let  us  go  to 
the  place  with  all  speed.”  So  she  came  out  of  her  den,  and 
they  went  off  together  in  the  forest. 

Soon  they  came  upon  the  saddle-cloth  which  the  Hyena  had 
flung  off  on  the  road,  and  the  Spider  said,  44  O Hyena,  if  I take 
this  saddle-cloth,  and  put  it  on  your  back  and  ride  you,  we  shall 
go  much  more  quickly,  for  I am  but  a poor  traveller.”  So  the 
Hyena  said,  44  Take  it,  O Spider,  and  put  it  on,  by  all  means.” 
So  the  Spider  took  it  and  put  it  on  her,  and  mounted.  After 
going  on  a little  way,  they  came  upon  the  saddle  also,  and  the 
Spider  said,  44  O Hyena,  your  back  is  very  sharp,  I had  better 
girth  the  saddle  on  so  that  I may  feel  more  comfortable  while 
riding;  I cannot  go  quickly  like  this.”  So  she  said,  “Take  it 
and  put  it  on,  by  all  means.”  So  he  put  it  on,  and  mounted 
again.  Then  he  went  and  got  the  bridle  also,  and  said,  44  O 
Hyena,  if  you  have  this  on  you,  and  if  you  were  about  to  fall  i 
through  the  slipperiness  of  the  ground,  I could  pull  it  and  you  I 
would  not  fall.”  So  the  Hyena  said,  44  Take  it,  and  put  it  on  too.”  I 
So  he  put  the  bridle  on  her  and  mounted.  And  as  they  were  I 
going  along,  the  Spider  got  the  spurs,  and  said,  44  Let  me  put 

322 


W 


Home  Industries 

The  Kagoro  woman  is  winnowing  grain,  which  is  to  be  ground  on  the  stones  seen  at  the  door  of  a hut  to  the  left.  A Hausa  man  can  be  seen 
in  the  nearest  hut  making  a mat  (for  which  Jemaan  Daroro  is  famed)  in  strips,  which  will  be  afterwards  sewn  togeiher.  See  p.  289. 


HAUSA  FOLKLORE 


these  on,  so  that  if  I touch  you  we  shall  go  more  quickly.”  And 
when  he  had  put  on  the  spurs  and  had  mounted  the  Hyena 
again,  he  kept  digging  the  spurs  into  her  stomach,  and  making 
her  run,  until  he  had  brought  her  to  the  Learned  Man. 

Then  the  Spider  said,  44  O Learned  Man,  mount,  here  is  the 
Hyena,  I have  brought  her  to  you.”  So  the  Mallam  made  a charm 
for  popularity  [by  writing  out  a verse  of  the  Koran,  and  encasing 
it  in  a piece  of  soft  leather],  and  gave  it  to  the  Spider,  and  then 
he  mounted  the  Hyena,  and  went  off  towards  Kano.  As  he  was 
moving  off,  the  Spider  called  out,  44  When  you  get  to  Kano,  do 
not  tie  up  the  Hyena  with  a hide  hobble,  put  a chain  on  her.” 
Then  the  Learned  Man  said  to  the  Hyena,  44  Stop,  the  Spider  is 
saying  something  behind  us.”  But  the  Hyena  said,  44 1 heard  ; he 
said  that  when  you  have  reached  Kano  you  must  tie  me  with  a 
hide  hobble,  you  must  not  chain  me  up,  for  if  you  put  a chain  on 
me  I should  die,  and  you  would  have  nothing  to  ride.”  So  he 
spurred  her,  and  they  ran  off. 

When  he  had  come  to  Kano  he  dismounted,  and  tied  her  up 
with  a hide  hobble,  so  when  night  came  the  Hyena  ate  the  hide, 
and  got  free.  Then  she  drank  the  water  set  ready  for  the 
inmates  of  the  house,  and  ate  all  the  fowls  that  she  could  find, 
and  then  she  seized  a goat  and  ran  oft*  with  it  to  the  forest,  and 
succeeded  in  finding  her  way  home  to  her  cubs. 

When  she  had  refreshed  herself,  she  went  out  to  look  for  the 
Spider,  but  he  had  been  given  a charm  for  popularity,  so  every 
Animal  she  inquired  of  wished  to  save  him  from  her  anger,  and 
said,  44 1 have  not  seen  the  Spider.”  She  searched  for  him  until 
she  became  tired  with  traversing  the  forest,  but  she  did  not  see 
him,  and  after  a time  an  internal  sickness  griped  her,  and  she 
died  in  the  forest.  That  was  the  reason  why  the  Spider  became 
popular ; every  tale  is  ascribed  to  the  Spider. 

The  spider  had  not  much  cause  to  be  proud  of  his  victory 
over  the  hyena  perhaps,  for  she  is  known  as  a silly  beast,  quite 
the  buffoon  of  the  animal  world,  but  he  soon  had  another 
adventure  on  his  hands. 


323 


HAUSA  FOLKLORE 


The  Spider,  the  Fish,  and  the  Lion 

This  is  about  the  Spider.  It  was  a time  of  famine,  there  had 
been  hunger  in  the  land  for  a long  time,  and  there  was  nothing 
for  him  to  eat;  but  some  small  Red-Breasted  Birds  used  to 
pluck  the  berries  from  a tree  in  the  centre  of  a very  deep  lake 
which  no  one  could  enter,  and  they  used  to  give  him  a few.  One 
day  when  the  Birds  had  come  back,  the  Spider  persuaded  one 
of  them  to  let  him  ride  on  his  wing,  and  they  went  to  the  lake 
together.  When  the  Spider  was  about  to  pluck  the  berries  the 
Birds  stopped  him,  and  tried  to  deceive  him,  saying,  “ We  always 
sleep  in  the  tree,  and  in  the  morning  find  that  the  berries  have 
ripened.” 

Now  when  they  had  gone  to  sleep,  the  Bird  who  was  carrying 
the  Spider  slipped  her  wing  from  under  him,  and  she  flew  off 
and  left  him  helpless,  so  that  when  he  moved  he  fell  into  the 
lake.  He  sank  in  the  water  until  he  came  to  the  house  of  the 
Water-Dwellers,  and  they  made  him  so  welcome  that  they  began 
quarrelling  over  him,  each  claiming  him  as  a relative.  Then  one 
of  the  disputants  said,  “ Mix  some  locust  fruit,  and  make  it  very 
hot,  and  if  he  is  a relative  of  ours  he  will  drink  it  however  hot  it 
may  be ; if  he  is  not,  then  he  will  let  it  cool.”  When  they  had 
prepared  it,  the  Spider  said,  “ Take  it  into  the  sun  [to  make  it 
hotter,  apparently  forgetting  he  was  under  water],  and  keep  on 
stirring  it,”  and  he  drank  it  all  up.  Then  the  Water-Dwellers 
said,  “ He  is  our  brother,”  and  they  brought  him  to  the  house  of 
a Fish  who  had  just  laid  100  eggs,  and  installed  him  there,  but 
the  Spider  said  to  the  Fish’s  young  ones,  “ If  you  hear  a sound 
like  ‘ pus,’  you  will  know  that  I am  hiccoughing.” 

When  they  had  gone  he  took  the  eggs,  and  put  them  on  the 
fire,  and  when  he  broke  them  and  they  made  a “ pus,”  the  young 
Fish  said,  fctThe  guest  is  hiccoughing.”  Then  the  older  Fish 
rebuked  them  for  saying  so,  but  the  Spider  called  out,  “ Do 
not  scold  them,  I am  their  father,”  and  he  ate  up  the  eggs  all 
but  one. 

After  two  days,  he  said  he  must  return  home,  and  many  of  the 
Water-Dwellers  said  they  would  escort  him  [a  mark  of  honour 

324 


HAUSA  FOLKLORE 

as  mentioned  before],  the  Frog  being  the  most  important  of  them. 
So  they  started  travelling,  and  soon  afterwards  the  Fish  which 
owned  the  eggs  and  had  been  left  behind,  entered  the  house 
where  the  Spider  had  been  lodging,  and  saw  that  he  had  eaten 
the  eggs.  Then  they  called  out,  44  Bring  back  the  stranger,  he 
has  eaten  the  eggs.'”  But  the  Spider  heard  first,  and  said, 44  Flurry, 
hurry,  the  rain  is  coming,”  and,  when  he  had  come  to  the 
bank,  he  told  the  Fish  escorting  him  to  get  inside  his  basket 
and  he  would  carry  them.  The  Frog  was  going  to  enter,  but  the 
Spider  prevented  him,  but  the  F'ish  all  got  inside,  and  the  Spider 
tied  up  the  mouth  of  the  basket  tightly,  and  then  he  lighted 
a fire  and  put  one  of  the  Fish  on  it  to  grill. 

Now  it  happened  that  just  then  the  Lion  arrived,  and  came  up 
behind  the  Spider  and  stood  there.  But  the  Spider  did  not  see 
him,  and  as  soon  as  the  first  Fish  was  cooked  he  took  it  off*  the 
fire  to  make  room  for  the  next,  and  threw  it  behind  him,  and  the 
Lion  took  it.  This  happened  each  time,  and  when  all  had  been 
cooked  the  Spider  looked  around,  expecting  to  see  his  pile  of  Fish, 
and  found  that  the  Lion  had  eaten  every  one.  Then  the  Spider 
was  furious,  but,  being  always  cunning,  he  addressed  the  Lion 
with  the  usual  salutation,  44  O Great  One,  Elder  Brother  of  the 
Forest,  did  you  see  the  feast  that  I provided  for  you  ? ” And  the 
Lion  replied  that  he  had,  and  they  went  off  together,  apparently 
the  best  of  friends. 

As  they  were  walking  along,  a Partridge  flew  out  just  in  front 
of  them,  and  the  Spider  said  that  she  was  trying  to  avoid  paying 
her  barber  [for  tattooing  her].  Then  the  Lion  said,  44  Was  it 
you  who  made  those  marks  on  her?’”  and  the  Spider  said 
44  Yes.” 

A little  farther  on  a Guinea-Fowl  rose  up,  and  the  Spider  said 
that  she  too  was  trying  to  cheat  him.  Then  the  Lion  asked  if 
the  Spider  had  made  her  marks  for  her  also,  and,  on  being  told 
that  that  was  the  case,  he  said  that  he  should  like  some.  Then 
the  Spider  said,  44  It  will  be  very  difficult  to  tattoo  you,  O Strong 
One,  unless  proper  preparations  are  made  ; first,  it  will  be  neces- 
sary to  kill  a Buffalo,  and  to  flay  it,  and  to  make  a rope  of  the 
hide.”  So  the  Lion  captured  a Buffalo,  and  gave  the  body  to 

325 


HAUSA  FOLKLORE 

the  Spider,  who  cut  its  throat,  and  skinned  it,  and  made  a rope 
of  the  hide.  Then  he  asked  the  Lion  to  go  into  the  forest  and  find 
a tree  so  strong  that  however  hard  it  was  pushed  it  could  not  be 
bent.  So  the  Lion  shook  trees  in  every  direction,  and  he  broke 
them  all,  until  at  last  he  found  a Kiria  which  he  could  not  bend, 
and  the  Spider  tied  him  to  it.  Then  he  said  to  the  Lion,  <fi  Now, 
see  if  you  can  move,  and  wherever  the  lashings  are  loose  show 
me,”  and  where  the  Spider  saw  any  movement  he  tied  the  rope  all 
the  tighter.  Then  he  put  his  knife  in  the  fire,  and  when  he  had 
made  it  red-hot  he  slashed  the  Lion’s  body  in  all  directions,  say- 
ing, after  each  stroke,  “ That  is  for  the  fish  you  stole  from  me,” 
and  when  he  had  cut  the  Lion  until  he  was  tired  he  went  off  home. 
Soon  afterwards  the  White- Ant  appeared,  and  said  to  the  Lion, 
u If  one  makes  day  for  you  (does  you  a good  turn)  will  you  make 
night  for  him  (repay  it  with  a bad  one)  ? ” And,  when  the  Lion 
had  said  that  he  would  not  do  such  a thing,  the  White- Ant  ate 
through  the  hide  in  all  directions,  and  freed  the  Lion.  But  the 
latter  trod  on  him  and  ate  him,  and  the  White- Ant  said,  “ Alas  ! 
that  is  what  I feared.” 

Then  the  Lion  went  to  an  Old  Woman,  and  asked  her  advice 
as  to  how  he  could  pay  the  Spider  back  ; and  she  said,  “ Well,  if 
I do  you  a good  turn  do  not  repay  me  with  a bad  one.”  And 
when  he  had  promised  she  took  the  Lion  to  her  house,  and  made 
an  evil-smelling  soup  with  which  she  smeared  the  whole  of  the 
Lion’s  body,  with  the  exception  of  his  eyes,  and  she  took  him  and 
put  him  in  a corner,  and  all  the  house  smelt  of  the  soup.  Then 
she  went  to  the  Spider’s  house,  and  said,  “ Who  has  killed  the 
Lion  ? he  is  rotting.”  And  the  Spider  said,  “ I have  a deadly 
poison ; when  I shot  him  I knew 1 he  would  die  ; ” and  he  con- 
tinued boasting  of  how  he  had  hunted  and  killed  the  Lion  until 
they  arrived  at  the  Old  Woman’s  house.  But  when  the  Spider 
had  come  close  and  had  touched  the  Lion,  the  latter  seized  him 
and  threw  him  against  the  wall,  and  killed  him,  and  then  the  Lion 
said  that  he  had  avenged  himself. 

This  story  is  more  complete  than  most,  and  shows  how  the 
spider  deceived  the  lion,  and  was  in  turn  trapped,  a variant 

326 


HAUSA  FOLKLORE 

making  the  jackal  a victim.  There  is  a resemblance  in  this  to 
our  story  of  44  The  Lion  and  the  Mouse.11 

The  goat,  the  sheep,  the  jackal,  and  the  donkey  are  regarded 
as  wise  animals,  while  the  dog  and  the  monkey  are  rather  foolish, 
though  usually  too  clever  for  the  hyena,  which  is  the  butt  of  all 
the  animals. 

The  Hyena,  the  Sheep,  and  the  Monkey 

There  was  once  a Sheep  who,  with  her  two  Lambs,  set  out  on 
her  travels,  and  the  three  journeyed  on  and  on,  until,  as  night 
approached,  they  found  themselves  at  the  house  of  the  Hyena. 
The  Hyena  made  food  for  them,  and  they  ate  it,  and  when  they 
had  finished  the  Hyena  gave  them  a hut  to  sleep  in,  and  she  and 
her  seven  Cubs  shut  them  in  lest  they  should  run  away.  During 
the  night  the  Sheep  dug  a hole,  and  made  a tunnel  under  the  wall 
[this  is  often  done  by  the  Hyenas  in  order  to  reach  Goats  and 
Sheep  shut  up  in  a hut],  and  she  and  her  two  Lambs  escaped. 
They  ran  on  to  the  brink  of  the  river,  and  there  they  obtained 
three  gourds,  one  large,  the  other  two  small.  Then  they  made 
three  holes  in  the  earth,  and  the  Sheep  put  the  gourds  in  the 
holes,  and  she  and  her  Lambs  ran  on  again. 

In  the  morning  the  Hyena  arose  and  looked  in  the  hut  where 
the  Sheep  had  slept,  but  saw  that  she  was  too  late,  so  she  galloped 
after  them,  and  there  on  the  brink  of  the  river  she  saw  the  three 
white  gourds  [which  she  mistook  for  the  heads  of  the  Sheep  and 
her  Lambs].  44  Oh,  there  they  are,11  she  said  ; 44  they  have  not  gone 
far,11  and  she  sprang  on  to  them.  But  the  earth  gave  way  and  she 
fell  into  the  river. 

Just  then  the  Monkey  came  up  to  drink,  and  the  Hyena  said, 
44  O Monkey,  will  you  not  let  me  catch  hold  of  your  tail  that  I may 
pull  myself  out  ? 11  But  the  Monkey  replied,  44  Oh  no,  if  one  does 
you  a good  turn  you  will  repay  him  with  an  evil  one.11  But  she 
swore  that  she  would  not  do  such  a thing,  and  so  the  Monkey 
stretched  out  his  tail,  and  she  seized  it,  and  pulled  herself  out  of 
the  water.  When  she  had  done  this  the  Monkey  said,  44  Now  let 
me  go 11 ; but  the  Hyena  said,  44  Will  you  not  let  me  have  a bite  off 
it  ? 11  and  she  bit  off  half,  and  even  then  she  refused  to  let  him  go. 

327 


HAUSA  FOLKLORE 


As  they  went  along  they  came  upon  the  Jackal,  the  Wise-Man 
of  the  Forest,  the  Learned  One,  the  Scholar,  and  they  asked  him 
to  judge  between  them.  Then  the  Jackal  told  the  Hyena  to 
release  the  Monkey  first,  but  she  said  that  he  would  escape  if  she 
did  so,  but  after  a while  she  was  persuaded  and  let  him  go.  Then 
the  Jackal  rushed  into  his  hole,  calling  out  to  the  Monkey  to 
climb  into  the  tree  above,  and  so  they  left  the  Hyena  sitting  there 
alone. 

Perhaps  a part  of  the  cleverness  of  the  donkeys  is  due  to  the 
fact  that  some  of  them  are  really  girls,  corresponding  in  some 
respects  to  the  swan-maidens  of  other  countries. 

The  Donkey-Girl 

There  was  once  a certain  Woman  who  was  very  anxious  for 
Children,  but  she  had  not  had  any,  and  one  day,  seeing  a Donkey, 
she  prayed  to  God  to  give  her  a Child  even  if  it  were  only  a 
Donkey.  On  her  return  home  she  found  that  she  had  conceived, 
and  she  afterwards  brought  forth  her  Offspring,  a Donkey,  The 
Donkey  was  always  tied  up  near  the  house  until  it  grew  big,  and 
then  it  was  allowed  to  go  into  the  bush  by  itself  [as  is  the  custom 
by  day,  returning  to  the  owner  at  night].  When  it  went  to  the 
forest  it  used  to  throw  off  the  Donkey  skin  and  enter  the  water 
and  wash,  and  after  that  it  would  put  on  the  skin  again  and 
return  home,  and  be  tied  up  as  before. 

One  day  it  went  to  the  forest  to  feed,  and  a Hunter  saw  it 
throw  off  the  skin,  and  enter  the  water,  as  a young  Maiden,  more 
beautiful  than  any  he  had  ever  seen.  Then  the  Hunter  ran  to 
the  King,  and  said,  “ So  and  So’s  Child  is  not  a Donkey  at  all, 
but  a Human  Being.'”  And  the  King  sent  a Messenger  to  the 
Girl's  Father  to  ask  him  for  the  Donkey  in  marriage.  The 
Parents  said,  “ How  can  the  King  marry  a Donkey  P ” but  the 
King  replied  that  he  wanted  to  do  so,  and  they  said,  therefore, 
that  they  would  give  him  it,  and  the  Donkey  was  brought  to  the 
King's  house  and  tied  up  there. 

Next  morning,  the  King  unloosed  it,  and  sent  it  out  to  feed, 
telling  the  Hunter  that  if  the  Girl  should  enter  the  water  and  he 

328 


HAUSA  FOLKLORE 


could  steal  the  Donkey  skin,  he  should  be  given  a Horse  [a  form 
of  currency  and  a ceremonial  present]  as  a reward.  Now  the 
Hunter  had  made  friends  with  a Hawk,  and  he  said  to  it,  44  O 
Hawk,  if  this  Girl  enters  the  water,  and  you  manage  to  steal  her 
skin,  I will  give  you  three  Fowls;11  so  when  the  Girl  had  gone 
into  the  water  and  had  taken  off  her  Donkey  skin  the  Hawk 
swooped  down  and  took  it.  When  the  Girl  came  out  and  found 
that  her  skin  had  disappeared,  she  ran  home  to  her  mother’s 
house  and  hid,  but  her  Parents  gave  her  a Woman’s  clothing,  and 
took  her  to  the  King’s  house,  and  the  King  made  her  his  Wife. 

There  are  several  tales  of  human  beings  marrying  with  insects 
or  animals,  but  there  is  usually  deceit  on  the  part  of  the  latter, 
and  these  unions  usually  end  in  a sad  way,  but  in  one  tale  the 
spider  is  admitted  to  be  the  best  husband  of  all,  though  the 
reasons  do  not  seem  very  satisfactory  to  us. 

Dodo,  the  Spider,  and  his  Wives 

A Spider  had  two  wives,  and  one  day  he  went  and  made  up 
two  bundles  of  wood,  and  he  brought  them  and  gave  each  Wife 
one.  Then  he  asked  them  if  there  were  any  Man  who  would  do 
better  than  he  had  [because  he  had  done  their  work  for  them], 
and  as  they  said  that  there  was,  he  told  them  to  take  him  to  the 
house  of  the  Man  who  was  better  than  he  was.  So  they  started 
out,  and  having  bought  white  cloth,  they  came  to  the  house  of 
Dodo  [a  mythical  monster ; in  this  case  he  is  a land  spirit,  for  he 
cannot  enter  the  river,  but  he  is  usually  a water  god,  possibly 
originating  from  the  crocodile].  They  said  to  Dodo’s  Mother 
that  they  had  brought  a Bride  for  the  44  Man  of  Men,”  and  then 
they  left  the  Spider  there,  wrapped  in  the  white  clothes  like  a bride 
[the  face  being  also  veiled],  and  went  home. 

Soon  afterwards,  Dodo  came  home  singing,  and  wondering  how 
he  was  going  to  wash  the  dirt  from  his  body,  and,  when  the 
Spider  heard  him,  he  got  up  and  ran  away.  When  Dodo  had 
arrived,  his  Mother  told  him  that  a Bride  had  been  brought  for 
him,  and  Dodo  asked  where  she  was.  Then  he  looked  in  the 
clothes,  but  saw  no  bride,  and  he  followed  the  Spider’s  footsteps. 

329 


HAUSA  FOLKLORE 

Meanwhile,  the  Spider  had  overtaken  some  Farmers,  and  they 
asked  him  what  was  making  him  run  away.  He  replied  that  it 
was  Dodo,  and  then  they  said,  u Pooh,  sit  down  here,  and  if  he 
comes  we  will  hide  you  amongst  the  roots  of  the  tomatoes.11  But 
Dodo  was  coming  on,  and  when  the  Farmers  saw  him,  they  asked 
the  Spider  who  it  was  that  was  coming.  “ That  is  the  Dodo  who 
is  chasing  me,”  he  replied,  and  then  they  said,  tfi  Get  up,  and  run 
away,  we  cannot  hide  you  from  him,1'’  and  they  also  ran  away. 

The  Spider  arose,  and  ran  on  again,  and  came  upon  some 
Harvesters,  and  they  also  asked  what  he  was  running  away  from, 
and,  when  he  told  them,  they  said  he  could  hide  in  a furrow. 
But  when  they  saw  Dodo  coming,  they  too  told  him  to  fly,  and  so 
he  ran  on  again  until  he  reached  a river,  and  he  crossed  it  just  as 
Dodo  arrived  on  the  bank.  Then  the  Spider  stood  his  ground 
and  laughed  at  Dodo,  for  he  could  not  cross  the  river,  and  so  he 
got  safely  back  to  his  house  while  Dodo  had  to  retrace  his  steps. 

Then  the  Spider  seized  one  of  his  Wives,  and  took  her  to 
Dodo  for  him  to  marry  her,  but  he  ate  her  instead.  Then  the 
Spider  asked  the  other  Wife  if  there  was  any  better  man  than  he, 
and  she  said,  “ Oh  no,  you  are  better  than  any  man.'1 

I cannot  call  to  mind  any  stories  which  ascribe  to  the  dog  the 
task  of  helping  a human  being  in  trouble,  but  the  horse  is 
mentioned  in  such  a connection  in  several  tales.  The  speed  of  the 
animal  is  naturally  the  useful  characteristic  in  this  connection, 
but  the  horse  is  made  to  show  also  a certain  amount  of  intelligence, 
and  in  this  story  a mare  acts  like  a Fairy  Godmother. 

Salifu  and  the  Wonderful  Mare 

The  King  of  a certain  city  had  ten  Sons,  and  sickness  seized 
hold  upon  him,  and  he  knew  that  he  was  going  to  die.  So  he 
summoned  his  ten  Sons  to  his  bed-side,  and  said  to  them,  “ Come 
to-morrow,  and  I will  advise  you  how  to  live  a happy  life  on 
earth.11 

Next  morning,  the  Sons  came,  and  he  summoned  the  Eldest 
first,  and  said  to  him,  “ You  see  that  I am  about  to  die ; you  know 
my  old  Mare ; when  I am  dead  that  Mare  will  be  your  portion.11 

330 


Good-bye  to  Jkmaa 

The  Waff  Guard  at  Jemaan  Daroro  turning  out  as  I rode  away,  ihe  front  wall  of  the  “ fort  ” had  been  washed  away  during  the  rains, 
and  was  replaced  by  a stockade.  The  Kagoro  Hills  can  just  be  seen  to  the  right. 


HAUSA  FOLKLORE 


But  the  Eldest  Son  said,  44  I refuse ; there  is  much  property  ; I shall 
not  be  content  with  the  Mare.11 

Then  the  Father  summoned  the  Second  Son,  and  made  the 
same  proposition  to  him,  but  he  also  refused,  and  so  did  all  the 
Others  down  to  the  Ninth  with  a like  result.  But  the  Tenth, 
Salifu,  said,  44 1 agree,  Father,  and  I thank  you.11  He  then  went 
out,  and  all  the  Others  arose  and  went  also.  Salifu  went  off  to 
collect  grass  for  his  Father’s  horses,  and  before  he  had  returned  his 
Father  was  dead.  Then  there  were  lamentations,  and  after  that 
the  property  was  collected  ready  for  distribution. 

Everything  was  arranged  in  ten  lots,  Slaves,  Cattle,  Horses, 
Donkeys  and  everything,  and  then  the  Eldest  Son  was  told  to  take 
his  Jot,  the  Second  to  take  his,  and  so  on  to  the  Ninth  Son.  But 
Salifu  refused  to  take  his  portion,  and  said  that  the  old  Mare  was 
enough  for  him,  and  that  he  did  not  want  anything  else.  Then 
his  Mother  began  to  abuse  him  for  not  taking  the  lot  [apparently 
the  distribution  was  not  on  the  Mohammedan  system — otherwise 
her  share  would  have  been  greater  by  his  refusal — but  on  a system 
something  like  that  of  the  Hindu,  where  a mother  shares  with  her 
sons],  but  he  refused  to  be  persuaded.  So  the  Other  Brothers 
said,  44  Very  well,”  and  they  divided  the  tenth  lot,  and  Every  One 
went  away.  Salifu  took  away  his  Mare,  and  soon  afterwards  she 
conceived,  and  bore  a Foal,  a wonderful  male  Charger.  Then  the 
King  of  another  City  heard  the  news  and  said  that  he  wanted  to 
buy  the  Foal,  and  he  gave  100  Slaves  for  it. 

Then  Salifus  Brothers  said  that  their  Father  had  played  them 
a trick,  since  the  Mare  could  bring  forth  a Foal  worth  100  Slaves, 
and  they  determined  to  kill  Salifu  and  seize  his  possessions.  So 
they  said  to  him  that  he  must  go  to  a certain  tree  and  pick  kola- 
nuts  for  them.  Now  the  tree  was  in  the  midst  of  a lake,  so  the 
Boy  knew  that  he  could  not  get  near  it,  and  he  began  crying. 
Then  the  Mare  said,  44  What  are  you  crying  for  ? 11  He  replied, 
44  My  Brothers  summoned  me,  and  told  me  that  I must  go  and 
bring  them  kola-nuts  from  the  lake.”  Then  the  Mare  said,  44  Is 
that  all  ? Leave  off  crying  ; since  you  did  not  cause  your  Father 
any  grief  you  will  not  have  any.  Now,  go  into  your  Father’s 
room  and  bring  me  a handkerchief.”  When  he  had  brought  it, 

331 


HAUSA  FOLKLORE 


she  spread  it  in  front  of  him,  and  a Crow  and  a Frog  came  out  of 
it.  Then  the  Mare  said  to  them,  44  Go  to  the  lake  and  get  the  j 
kola-nuts.”  So  they  went ; the  Crow  flew  up  above  and  plucked 
oft*  the  nuts,  and  when  they  fell  into  the  water  the  Frog  caught 
them.  Then  they  emerged  from  the  lake,  and  the  Crow  took  the  j 
nuts  to  the  Boy,  and  he  gave  them  to  his  Brothers.  Then  they 
said, 44  There  is  no  one  who  can  beat  this  Boy  ; go  home  again,”  so  ’ 
he  went  home. 

But  soon  afterwards  the  Brothers  were  gathered  together  j 
again,  and  sent  for  Salifu,  and  when  he  had  come  they  said, 44  We  ; 
are  giving  our  Servants  food ; go  home  and  they  will  bring  it  to  j 
you,  and  when  you  have  eaten  it  give  them  back  the  calabashes.”  I 
Then  Salifu  returned  home,  and  began  crying,  and  the  Mare  | 
asked  him  what  he  was  crying  for ; and,  when  she  had  been  told,  1 
she  said,  44  Go  into  your  father’s  room  and  bring  that  handker-  j 
chief.”  So  he  entered,  and  brought  it,  and,  when  the  Mare  had  j 
spread  it  in  front  of  him,  Slipperiness  came  out,  and  Small  Pieces  J 
of  Wood,  and  they  went  to  the  road,  the  Slipperiness  placing  | 
itself  in  the  middle  of  the  path,  the  Wood  doing  the  same.  Four  I 
Youths  had  been  detailed  to  bring  the  meat  and  grain,  and  one  to  j 
carry  the  soup  [all  eaten  together,  the  whole  being  enough  for,  j 
perhaps,  eight  men],  and  when  they  had  reached  the  road  to  the  1 
house,  the  first  one  stumbled,  for  the  Slipperiness  had  caught  | 
him,  and  when  he  fell  down  the  Wood  broke  his  legs.  All  fell  ] 
down  and  broke  their  legs,  and  the  food  was  wasted  in  the  j 
forest. 

Then  again  the  Brothers  summoned  Salifu  to  come,  and  they  ] 
said,  44Go  home,  for  guinea-corn,  millet,  citclia , and  rice  will  be  ] 
sent  to  you  all  mixed  together,  and  you  must  separate  them  by  j 
to-morrow  morning.”  Then  he  went  home  and  began  crying,  ] 
and  the  Mare  asked  him  what  he  was  sad  about  now  ; and,  when  V 
she  had  been  told,  she  once  more  had  the  handkerchief  brought,  j 
Then  she  spread  it  as  before,  and  said,  44  All  You  who  are  inside  I 
come  forth,  there  is  work  for  you  to  do,”  and  immediately  a great 
multitude  of  Ants  appeared,  and  separated  the  grain,  and  Salifu  j 
sent  it  back  in  different  calabashes  to  his  Brothers. 

Soon  afterwards  the  Brothers  said,  44  There  is  a certain  Girl  j 

332 


HAUSA  FOLKLORE 


among  the  rebels,  the  King’s  Daughter,  go  and  bring  her  here.” 
Then  Salifu  began  crying  again,  and  told  the  Mare  what  he  had 
been  set  to  do,  and  she  said,  44  Here  is  my  Foal,  bring  sour  milk 
in  a large  gourd,  put  some  millet  into  it  also,  and  mix  them  [a 
very  great  delicacy,  as  mentioned  before],  and  let  him  drink  it.” 
When  the  Foal  had  drunk,  the  Mare  said, 44 Now  saddle  him,  mount, 
and  go  off.”  Salifu  said  that  he  did  not  know  the  way,  but  the 
Mare  said  that  the  Foal  knew  it,  so  off  they  started.  They 
travelled  all  day  and  all  night,  and,  by  the  next  morning,  they 
had  reached  the  town.  Then  the  Foal  said,  44  Let  us  find  a place 
where  we  can  hide  in  this  long  grass;  when  the  Women  come  out 
to  draw  water  we  will  seize  the  Girl  we  want.” 

So  they  went  and  hid  until  noon,  when  a crowd  of  Young 
Girls  came  out  of  the  city  to  go  to  the  waterside.  Four  of  the 
Girls  were  holding  a cloth  like  a canopy  over  the  King’s  Daughter, 
and  she  walked  along  between  them.  Then  the  Foal  rushed  out 
of  the  grass,  and  the  Boy  seized  the  Girl,  and  lifted  her  on  to  his 
saddle,  and  they  galloped  off  as  the  alarm  was  sounded.  But 
Salifu  returned  safely  to  his  house,  and  brought  the  Girl  to  his 
Brothers,  and  she  said,  44  Oh  indeed,  did  you  not  seize  me  for 
vourself?  who  is  it  who  made  vou  do  it  for  him?”  Then  the 

J J 

Brothers  said  to  her,  44  Go  into  the  house  ! ” But  the  Girl  said, 
44  Oh  no,  I am  a King’s  Daughter,  I will  not  enter  unless  a Ram 
is  killed  in  my  honour.”  So  a Ram  was  brought,  and  she  told 
them  to  kill  it,  and,  when  it  had  been  divided  up,  she  took  the 
skin  and  beat  it  with  her  hands,  and  the  skin  arose  and  became 
a Ram  again.  Then  she  said  to  the  King,  44  Now  you  also  let  me 
treat  you  likewise,”  and  the  King  agreed,  and  she  killed  him. 
Then  she  said  to  the  Brothers,  44  You  also  will  I kill  unless  you 
make  Salifu  King;”  and  so  they  agreed,  and  she  made  him  King 
and  took  him  to  the  King’s  palace,  and  she  said, 44  To-day  you  are 
King,  Salifu ; he  who  refuses  to  follow  you,  kill  him.  They 
refused  to  do  what  your  Father  told  them,  but  you  obeyed,  and 
so  you  are  now  best  off.” 

Birds  seem  usually  more  intelligent  than  animals,  and  there 
is  a tale  of  the  battle  between  them  in  which  the  latter  are  badly 

333 


HAUSA  FOLKLORE 

worsted,  but  sometimes  they  come  off  only  second  best.  They, 
too,  help  man  at  times,  though  at  others  he  must  beware  of  them, 
since  they  are  always  stealing  his  grains  and  fruits.  The  follow- 
ing story  shows  a bird  to  much  better  advantage  than  the  human 
beings  concerned.  Does  it  refer  to  a process  of  substitution  ? 

The  Greedy  Woman  and  the  Good  Bird 

There  was  a certain  Old  W oman  once  who  had  a Daughter. 
There  was  also  a man  who  had  a Bull  which  he  wanted  to  sell, 
but  he  said  that  his  Bull  was  not  to  be  bought  for  money,  but 
that  Whoever  bought  it,  on  the  date  when  payment  became  due, 
must  be  buried  alive.  Then  the  Old  Woman  said  that  she  would 
take  the  Bull  on  these  terms,  and  the  Owner  said,  44  Very  well, 
you  have  a Daughter ; when  the  date  comes  you  must  give  her  to 
me  so  that  I may  bury  her  alive,”  and  the  Old  Woman  agreed, 
and  she  took  the  Bull. 

When  the  day  came  the  44  Burier-alive  ” came,  and  said,  44  Old 
Woman,  the  day  has  come ; give  me  your  Daughter  that  I may 
bury  her  alive ; 11  and  he  went  off  and  began  digging  a grave. 
Then  he  returned,  and  took  the  Girl,  and  made  her  walk  in  front 
of  him.  When  they  had  gone  some  distance,  the  Old  Woman, 
in  order  to  delay  the  evil  hour,  called  out,  44  O Burier-alive,  the 
Girl  has  some  jewels,  will  you  not  allow  her  to  fetch  them  ?”  So 
he  said,  44  Bring  them  to  her,”  and  she  brought  them.  When 
they  had  gone  on  again  the  Old  Woman  called  out, 44  What  about 
her  clothes?”  and  he  said,  “Bring  them,”  and  so  she  brought 
them  also. 

After  a while  they  came  near  to  the  grave,  and  the  Old 
Woman  was  crying  that  Fate  was  against  her,  and  saying,  44  Had 
I only  known  that  it  would  come  to  this  I would  not  have  acted 
so ; it  is  Greed  which  kills  the  Dog,  not  Hunger.”  Just  then  a 
Red  Bird  flew  up,  and  said,  44  What  are  you  crying  for,  Old 
Woman?”  And  she  replied,  44  Alas,  because  of  my  greed  my 
Daughter  is  to  be  buried  alive  ! ” Then  the  Bird  said,  44  Old 
Woman,  leave  off*  crying.  I will  dry  your  tears  for  you,  but  if 
I do  you  a good  turn  you  must  not  return  me  a bad  one.” 

Then  the  Old  Woman  called  out,  44  O Burier-alive,  my 

334 


HAUSA  FOLKLORE 


Daughter  has  silken  cords  for  her  neck,  will  you  not  allow  her 
to  fetch  them  ? ” And  he  said  44  Bring  them.”  But  the  Red 
Bird  took  them,  and  tied  them  around  her  neck,  and  became 
a Girl,  while  the  Girl  turned  into  a Red  Bird,  and  flew  up  and 
returned  to  the  Old  Woman.  Then  the  Burier-alive  made  the 
Red  Bird  walk  in  front — he  did  not  know  it  was  a Bird — and 
made  it  lie  down  in  the  hole,  and  began  mixing  earth  to  plaster 
it  over  the  grave.  But  the  Bird  flew  away  when  he  was  not 
looking,  and  so  the  Burier-alive  made  his  clay  for  nothing,  for 
he  did  not  know  that  she  had  flown  away.  Then  the  Bird 
returned  to  the  Old  Woman,  and  said,  44  You  must  fight  against 
Greed ; it  is  a thing  to  be  avoided,  and  if  you  are  patient  it  will 
disappear.” 

Most  excellent  advice,  which  is  recommended  to  all  the 
Hausas  and  other  natives  of  the  country;  but,  after  all,  they 
are  not  so  bad ; it  is  wonderful  sometimes  to  see  what  hardships 
they  will  put  up  with.  They  are  fine  fellows  when  unspoilt,  and 
their  good  humour  and  cheerfulness  under  adverse  circumstances 
are  an  excellent  antidote  to  the  European  who  is  working  up  for 
a fit  of  the  blues.  And  in  spite  of  the  blackwater,  I hope  that 
it  is  with  them,  as  also  with  my  readers,  not  a case  of  44  Good- 
bye,” but  only  of  44  Au  Revoir.” 


MAP  OF  NORTHERN  NIGERIA 


OK  “THE  TAILED  HEAD-HUNTERS  OF  NIGERIA.” 


, Service  and  Co.,  Limited. 


Stanford's  Geogl Estabt London. 


INDEX 


Abdulahi,  67,  69 
Abdurahmanu,  65 
Abnormalities,  237,  239,  240,  258 
Abomong,  129 
Abonsom,  202,  203 

Administration  and  policy,  70,  71,  73, 
78,  82,  91,  98,  115,  123,  151,  161, 
164,  214,  216,  245,273,  274,  279,  280, 
300,  301,  309 
Adultery,  236 

After-life,  170,  172,  173,  191 

Age  for  marriage,  231,  232 

Agriculture,  206,  243 

Airs,  native,  251,  262,  265,  266 

Airships,  285 

Ajai,  78,  86,  243,  306 

Ajenge,  259 

Akra  customs,  173 

Amar  (Muri),  49,  51,  56,  59 

(Ninzam),  148,  276 

Ambel,  149-151,  280 
Ambushes,  156 

Ancestors,  167,  169,  170,  171,  175,  224 
Animals,  24,  32,  58,  60,  96,  121 

and  language,  299 

powers  of,  172,  192 

stories  of,  320-335 

substitution  of,  172,  207 

transmigration  into,  173-175 

Ankwoi,  56,  57,  76 
Anthropology,  31,  61,  161,  164 
Ants,  travelling,  125 
Apak,  93 

Aragga  tribe,  the,  187 
Arbitration,  19,  164 
Arms  and  weapons,  84,  89,  93,  96,  157, 
292 

Arrows,  poisoned,  83,  84,  89,  150,  276, 
281,  291,  292 

Ash,  for  manure,  136,  206 

smoked,  248 

for  salt,  242,  243 

of  umbilicus,  238 

Ashanti,  17,  85,  213,  214,  225 
Attakka  tribe,  the,  92,  94,  95,  101,  103, 
111,  152 

Australia,  18,  21,  56 
Auto -harp,  249 


Avoidance,  197,  233 
Awudu  of  Ungual  Kaura,  144, 147,  151, 
261 

Ayashi,  280,  281 

Ayu  (or  Ayub)  tribe,  the,  92,  100,  150 

Baikie,  Dr.,  21 
Bakunde,  54 
Band,  Kajji,  250,  251 
police,  271 

Bassa  province,  the,  42,  75,  111 

Bassa-Komo  tribe,  the,  226 

Barge,  317,  318 

Barth,  Dr.,  21 

Baskets,  287,  289 

Bat,  242 

Bauchi  province,  the,  22,  50,  67,  75,  94 
Beer,  125,  133,  153,  167,  172,  185,  186, 
188,  190,  192,  202,  206,  233,  244, 
247 

Bees,  142,  157,  182,  282 
Benue,  river,  the,  28,  30,  48,  75 
Betrothal,  232 

Birds,  stories  of,  324-326,  333-335 
Black  magic,  171,  193 
Blacksmiths,  136,  194,  248,  290 
Blood  eaten,  245 
feud,  183,  226 

Boats  (canoes,  barges,  steamers,  &c.), 
24,  26,  30,  42,  43,  313-319 
Bori  dancing,  254-262 
Bornu  province,  the,  20,  39 

Bori , 257 

Bow,  the,  an  early  harp,  267 
Bowditch,  214 
Boxing,  52 

Bravery  of  Europeans,  jpref.,  216 

of  natives,  52,  86,  129,  144,  149, 

152,  180,  181,  215,  216,  218,  284 
Bread  in  England,  246 
Bride,  298 

Bride-price,  230,  231,  232,  237,  238 
Britons,  polyandry  amongst  the,  227 
Broom,  magic,  160 
Building,  methods  of,  133-138 

rules  of,  132,  133,  138 

Bull-baiting,  51,  292-298 
I Burial,  176-178 


Y 


INDEX 


Burroughs,  Colonel,  216,  219 
Bush,  the  Australian,  18 

Cakes,  soul,  189 

Cambridge  University,  the,  31,  35,  61 
Camel,  309 

Cannibalism,  92,  100,  101,  178,  ISO- 
184,  238 
Canoe,  316,  317 
Captains,  an  army  of,  319 
Capture,  marriage  by,  229 
Carriages,  the  origin  of,  312,  313 
Carrying  children,  239 
Cart,  a strange,  55,  313 
Cattle,  243,  309 
Caves,  97,  137,  281 
Cereals,  241,  243 
Ceremonial  dances,  264 
Chad,  Lake,  20,  227 
Chain,  an  iron,  232 

Charms,  86,  111,  112,  122,  163,  181, 
194,  206 

Cheating  God,  163 
Cherubim,  169 

Child,  Akra  custom  to  prevent  its 
dying,  173 

Child-birth,  198,  200,  230,  238,  281, 
306 

Child-price,  238 

Choice,  the  right  of,  of  a woman,  232 
Christianity,  72,  73,  161 
Christmas  celebrations,  53 
Circumcision,  94,  203,  204 
Civilisation,  ours  and  native,  161-164, 
189,  200 

Clapperton,  Captain,  20 
Clothing,  42,  103,  108,  113,  122,  124, 
128,  166,  191,  292 
Colonial  Office,  the,  pref.,  29,  48 
Congo  or  Kongo,  river,  the,  20 
Conjuring,  207,  20S 
Consanguinity,  224,  228 
Cooking,  50,  242,  245,  316 
Corn,  206,  207 

Corpse,  treatment  of  the,  176,  177,  187 

Courtship,  232,  233 

Cover,  natives  taking,  89 

Cowries,  232,  234,  257,  262 

Crocodile,  174,  175,  239 

Cruelty,  184 

Currency,  79,  244,  248 

Custom,  105,  114,  146,  161-210 

Dada,  34 

Danger,  signs  of,  79,  80,  124 

to  officers,  80,  81,  85,  272,  285 

Dance,  a,  for  Hausa  women,  262,  263 
medicinal,  235 


Dance,  religious,  253 
Dancing,  82,  179,  202,  205,  252-265 
“ Dash,”  the,  254 
Days,  lucky,  195,  259 
Death-customs,  41,  120,  173,  176,  186- 
191,  202,  250,  252 
Death,  life  after,  170 
Debt,  120-122 

Decoration  of  houses,  the,  134,  135 
Denham,  Major,  20 
Deodand,  the,  181,  182 
“ Dis-Mal-Aria,”  269,  270 
District  Headman  (D.H.M.),  98 
Divorce,  235-237 
Doctors,  29,  283 
Dodo,  329,  330 

Dog,  the,  156,  172,  195,  232,  234,  237, 
241,  242,  299,  327 
Donkey,  309 

Donkey-girl,  story  of,  328,  329 
Doors,  131,  141 
Dreams,  187,  192 
Driving,  310 

Drums,  250,  251,  267,  271 
Drunkenness,  186,  244,  245 

Ears  pierced,  110 
Earth,  eaten,  113,  243 

red  on  body,  113,  114  ; white 

eaten  and  on  body,  113  ; yellow  on 
eyes,  113 
Eating,  196,  245 
Euphorbia  hedges,  92,  124,  156 
Evil-eye,  the,  195 
Evil-wisher,  the,  171,  195 
Executions,  151,  222 
Expeditions,  grades  of,  272 
Eyes,  113,  114,  195 

Fada,  93 

Fada  Wate,  147,  275 
Family,  the  joint,  132,  133,  149 
Farm,  rules  for  a,  132,  206 
Fascination  of  West  Africa,  the,  17- 
23,  29,  47,  102,  316 
Fatherhood,  225,  227 
Feasting,  133,  138,  202,  233 
“ Female  ” pots,  288,  289 
Fever.  31,  32,  55,  58,  81,282 
Fighting,  41,  54,  67,  67,  68,  70,  83-90, 
95,  97,  126,  129,  144,  147,  150,  152, 
164,  221,  272-280 

Filani  people,  the,  30,  37,  39,  50,  61- 
73,  76,  97,  194,  231,  235,  243,  292j 
Fire,  125,  158,  171,  193,  240 
Fish,  242 

story  of,  324-327 

Flour,  289 


INDEX 


Flute,  the,  249,  267 
Folk-lore,  Hausa,  320-335 
Food  and  drink,  50,  78,  80,  82,  124, 
125,  126,  153,  183,  196,  241-248,  259, 
260,  289,  292 

Fowl,  the,  as  deputy,  201,  299 

as  sacrifice,  133,  137,  167,  178, 

185,  207 

as  watch-dog,  137 

Fowl-house,  the,  137 
Fruits,  241 

Frog,  stories  of  the,  325,  332 
Furniture,  135,  202 

Game-Laws,  290-292 
Gannawarri  tribe,  the,  92,  96,  101,  106, 
154,  184,  203 

Ghosts,  177,  178,  180,  189,  190,  191, 
206 

Goats,  disputes  over,  41,  42,  122,  123 

as  food,  242 

as  gifts,  232,  259 

as  sacrifice,  159,  178,  185,  187, 

327 

Goat  skins,  104 

God,  ideas  of,  163,  166-169,  191,  193, 
203 

Golden  stool,  the,  215 
Gourds,  swimming  with,  314 
Government  of  Northern  Nigeria,  the, 
29,  115,  302,  and  see  Administration 
and  Policy 

Granary,  an  inside,  132,  141 

an  outside,  136,  141,  245 

Grass,  when  burnt,  290 

for  roofing,  140,  141 

for  torches,  149 

Graves,  176,  177,  183 

Habeshi,  the,  62 
Habitations,  Attakka,  96,  100,  138 

Ashanti,  142 

Ayashi  (Nadu),  281 

Filani,  139 

Hausa,  138-142 

Jaba,  131,  138 

Kagoma,  100,  128,  131 

Kagoro,  96,  100,  128,  131,  138 

Kajji,  100,  128,  131,  138 

Katab,  131 

Moroa,  100,  138 

Yoruba,  139 

Hair,  63,  109,  186,  187,  195 
Hallucinations  ( Bori ),  254-257 
Hammock,  the,  307,  308 

dance,  263 

Harmattan,  the,  46,  116 
Hausa  beliefs,  34,  50 


Hausa  customs,  229,  231 

folklore,  320-335 

language,  the,  31,  40,  45,  48,  56, 

94,  115,  126,  320 

soldiers,  37,  220 

States,  the,  21,  62 

traders,  93,  194,  246 

Head-hunting,  90,  92,  95,  101,  113, 
152,  153,  160,  178-180,  185,  232 
Heat,  305 

Henstock,  Lieut.-Col.,  220,  221 
History  of  Bori  dancing,  254,  257 

of  Jemaan  Daroro,  64-71 

of  the  Kagoro,  93-99 

Hoe-shovel,  the,  206,  232,  234 

— magic,  208,  209 

Honey-beer,  246 

Horns  as  native  instruments,  250,  251 
Horse,  the,  33,  41,  42,  53,  55,  63,  88, 
118,  119,  145,  172,  186,  205,  298, 
308 

stories  of,  321,  322,  330-333 

Hunting,  55,  91,  152,  200,  237,  289- 
292 

Hyena,  the,  58,  59,  321-323,  327,  328 
Hysteria,  258 

Ibi,  49,  56 

Igbaja,  34 

Ijo  belief,  an,  196 

Ilorin,  31 

Images,  167,  168 

Implements,  206 

Indema,  the  story  of,  64-66 

Infanticide,  239 

Inheritance,  190,  331 

Initiation,  204,  205,  258 

Insanity,  254,  258 

Insects,  28,  29,  32,  59,  241 

Instruments,  musical,  267,  268 

Iron,  93,  106,  239 

Jaba  tribe,  the,  92,  99,  103,  111 
Jackal,  story  of,  328 
Jagindi  (“Red  Behind”),  70 
Jebba,  21,  31,  39 
Jehad,  the  Filani,  63,  64 
Jemaan  Daroro  (or  Jemaa),  61,  66,  67, 
76,  92,  93,  98,  111,  116,  124 
Justice,  151 

Kaduna,  the  river,  30,  193,  195,  240 
Kafir , 62,  73 

Kagoma  tribe,  the,  70,  92,  100,  128 
Kagoro  tribe,  the,  68,  71,  91,  92,  94, 
95,  103,  115,  152,  203,  231 
Kajji  tribe,  the,  67,  70,  92,  95,  99,  103 
Kajurawa  tribe,  the,  64-66,  95,  97 


INDEX 


Kamerun  (or  Cameroon),  the,  54 
Kano,  20,  33,  39,  49,  126,  323 
Karshe  tribe,  the,  92,  100 
Katab  tribe,  the,  92,  95,  99,  103,  111 
Keddara  tribe,  the,  106 
Kibbo  tribe,  the,  92,  100,  152 
Kola  nuts,  51,  247,  262 
Kontagora,  43,  49 
Kukuruku  tribe,  the,  41 
Kumasi,  17,  214,  217 
Kururua,  the,  252 

Ladies,  European,  in  West  Africa,  49 
Laing,  Major,  21 
Land,  travelling  on,  304-313 
Lander,  Richard,  20,  21,  67 
Language,  37,  38,  75,  149,  299,  300 
Lascivious  dances,  264,  265 
Leaves,  42,  105 
Lightning,  the  origin  of,  93 
Lion,  58 

stories  of,  324-327 

Lip  ornaments,  110,  114,  121 
Liquor,  the  importation  of,  244 
Liver,  the,  eaten,  171,  172,  234 
Loads,  carrying,  on  the  heads  (“toting”) 
162,  306 

Lokoja,  24,  27,  28,  30,  39-41,  49,  59, 
118 

Lugard,  Sir  F.  D.,  39,  40,  45 

McCarthy,  Sir  Charles,  214 
Mada  tribe,  the,  92,  106,  153,  276 
Magic,  85,  194 

Maibori  (pi.  Masubori),  the,  254,  258- 
261 

Mallam  (priest,  magician),  a,  64 

story  of,  821-823 

Markets,  142,  245 
Marks,  tribal,  95,  111,  112 

on  birds,  stories  of,  325,  326 

Marriage,  105,  113,  158,  173,  179,  205, 
224-235 

Martin,  the  Rev.  John,  120,  173,  174, 
202,  205 
Massage,  162 
Meals,  53,  242,  245 
Meat,  78,  242,  246 
Medals,  36,  178,  284  286 
Milk,  50,  243,  247 

Mohammedans,  the,  72,  73,  161,  203, 
236,  244,  301 

Monkey,  a story  of  the,  327,  328 
Morality,  192,  232,  236,  245 
Moroa  tribe,  the,  67,  92,  95,  101,  103, 
154,  224,  231 
Mosques,  138 

Mosquitoes,  28,  29,  32,  59,  241 


Motors,  310,  311 

Mourning,  186 

Mouse,  the,  91,  242,  289,  290 

Munshi  tribe,  the,  56,  59,  60 

Murder,  148,  150 

Muri  Province,  the,  48-60,  75 

Musa,  Mallam,  67 

Music,  native,  249-252,  265-271 

Mutiny,  a,  116,  211-223 

Nadu  tribe,  the,  92,  97,  106,  111,  153 
Nakedness,  42,  101 

Names,  51,  160,  179,  195-197,  228,  313 
; Nassarawa  Province,  the,  22,  61,  75, 
92,  94 

Natives,  the,  bravery,  52,  86,  129,  144, 
149,  152,  180,  181,  215-218,  284 

; conservatism,  161 

goodness  of  heart,  77,  151,  161 

gratitude,  40,  86,  220,  278 

happiness,  pref.,  25,  142,  207,  252, 

284,  335 

honesty,  24,  87,  205,  232,  233, 

244 

laws  and  customs,  71,  161,  162, 

165,  169,  181,  228 

memory,  271 

overpayment  of,  245 

policy  with  ( see  Administration) 

. punishment  of,  26,  72,  116,  130, 

155,  170,  218,  222,  274 

self-esteem,  163,  164 

time,  idea  of,  98,  117 

treachery,  154,  180 

work,  27,  74,  118,  143,  198,  199, 

245,  250,  306 

Niger  Company,  the,  22,  39,  55,  56, 
105 

and  the  West  Sudan , the,  19,  61, 

320 

the  river,  20,  24,  27,  30,  193 

Night  attacks,  152 
Ninkada  tribe,  the,  92 
Ninzam  tribe,  the,  68,  70,  92,  100,  144, 
150 

Notation,  musical,  262,  268 
Nupe  soldiers,  37 
Nursing  children,  239 
Nuts,  241 

Oaths.  201 

Officials,  pref.,  80,  81,  85,  283,  302 
Ordeals,  201 

Origin,  the,  of  the  Filani,  62 

generally,  224 

of  the  Hausa,  320 

of  the  Kagoma,  100 

of  the  Kagoro,  93,  170,  171 


340 


INDEX 


Origin  of  the  Kajji,  99 

of  the  Katab,  99 

of  the  Moroa,  101,  224 

Othman  dan  Fodio,  63,  64 
Oudney,  Dr,  20 

Overpayment  of  natives,  the,  245 
Overweg,  Dr.,  21 
Ox,  the,  309 

Pagan  Belt,  the,  75,  81 
Painting,  112,  113,  179,  186,  192,  232 
Palm-wine,  246,  247 
Parentage,  225 

Patrols  and  tours,  41,  53,  56,  144,  211, 
272-286 

Pawning,  120  (see  slavery) 

Peace,  agreements  of,  158-160 
“ Peaceful  penetration,”  60,  78,  272 
Phallic  cult,  the,  106,  280 
Pipes,  248 

Pits  for  human  beings,  124,  157 

for  wild  beasts,  158,  292 

for  refuse,  136 

Police  (for  some  time  constabulary), 
the,  28,  32-35,  39,  42 
Polygyny,  73 

Porridge,  185,  233,  245,  247,  259 
Pottery,  287-289 
Prettiness,  168 

Priests,  the,  191,  197,  206,  240 
Proverbs,  60,  85,  86,  143 
Publicity,  142 

Punishment  of  natives,  the,  26,  72, 
116,  130,  155,  170,  218,  222,  274 
Punt  or  barge,  the,  316,  317 

Quinine,  21,  258 

Rafts,  315,  316 
Railway,  the,  311,  312 
Rain,  166,  283,  284 
Rat,  the,  91,  242 

Restrictions  on  food,  110,  247,  248, 
289,  290 

Revenge,  181,  182 
Richardson,  James,  21 

Lady  Constance  Stuart,  58 

Ricksha,  the,  309 
Rivers,  crossing,  283 
Roads  in  West  Africa,  77,  91,  145,  150, 
304,  310 

Robbers,  highway,  57,  100,  124,  128 

Sacred  grove,  the,  196 
Sacrifice,  99,  133,  137,  159,  167,  169, 
174,  175,  178,  185,  188,  190,  207,  247 
Saddle,  a cruel,  299 
Sadness  of  native  airs,  the,  268,  271 


Salt,  201 

Salutations,  50,  51,  94 
Sanga,  144 

Sap  (poisonous  draught),  the,  201 
Sarauta  (chieftainship),  the,  53,  54 
Scarification,  95,  111,  112,  234 
Serenade,  a Hausa,  265 
Seville  Cathedral,  a dance  in  the,  253 
Sexes,  the  treatment  of,  in  divorce, 
236 

Shadow,  the,  170,  172 
Shaving,  186 

Sheep,  a story  of  the,  327,  328,  333 
Singing,  179 
Sitting,  131,  135 

Skulls,  136,  154,  155,  178,  179,  185, 
281 

Slavery,  97,  119,  144,  148,  300-303 
Sleep,  170 
Small-pox,  123 
Smell,  103 

Snake  charming,  207 

belief  that  a child  turns  into  a, 

239 

Sokoto  (better  Sokkotu),  20,  33,  39 
Soul,  the,  170,  171,  172,  173,  182,  188 
Soup,  239,  242,  245 
South,  looking  towards  the,  167, 
Spelling,  79 
Spices,  241 

Spider,  stories  of  the,  321-326,  329, 
330 

Spoons,  196,  245 
Sports,  51,  52,  55,  289-299 
Steamers,  318,  319 
Stern-wheeled  boats,  318,  319 
Still-born  children,  238,  239 
Stone  implements,  93 
Stones,  158,  167 

Stream  dividing  the  worlds,  the,  170 
Subaltern,  a “cease-fire,”  319 
Substitution,  172,  187,  188,  207 
Sun,  the,  193 
Swimming,  170,  313 
“ Swine,”  the,  26,  42,  318 
Symbolism,  234 
Sympathetic  magic,  182,  195 

Tabu,  125,  196,  233 
Tails,  103,  104,  106-108,  234 
TaTcai,  the,  263,  264 
Tar-baby  stories,  206 
Timbuktu,  20,  21 
Time  of  marriage,  234 

native  idea  of,  98 

Tobacco,  94,  248 

Toff  tribe,  the,  76,  80,  83,  87,  88,  96 
Tornado,  a,  145 


INDEX 


Traders,  21,  22,  76,  82,  94,  181,  246, 
300,  301 

Training  for  war,  153 
Transport,  origin  of,  312,  314 
Transmigration,  173,  174,  180 
Trap,  a,  for  beasts,  58,  292 

for  fish,  292 

Travelling,  145,  283,  304-319 
Tribal  Marks  ( see  marks) 

Tribes,  the  origin  of  distinctions  be- 
tween, 75 

Tribute,  54,  66,  70,  91,  97,  98, 115-148, 
150,  279,  281 
Tripoli,  20,  21 

Tsetse  fly,  prevention  against  the,  41 
Turtle,  the,  196 

Umbilicus,  treatment  of  the,  238 
Ungual  Kaura,  144,  275 
Uniforms,  35,  36,  53 
Usuman,  Mallam,  64,  67 

Virgins,  104,  232,  234,  235 
Virtues,  assimilation  of,  by  eating,  181 
Visits  of  the  bridegroom,  the,  226,  234, 
235 

“ Waffs  ” (West  African  Frontier 
Force),  the,  33,  37,  215 
Waiwai  tribe,  the,  73,  100,  276-278 
Wallace,  Sir  W.,  43 
“ Wars  ” (West  African  Regiment), 
the,  40,  212,  216-223 
War,  causes  of,  160 
declaration  of,  155 


War,  preparation  for,  153 

tactics,  89,  156,  157,  277,  281,  285 

Wars  with  Ashanti,  213-215 
Wase,  50 
Water,  holy,  201 

travelling  on  the,  313-319 

Waterproof  sheet,  uses  of  a,  44,  146 
Watson,  the  late  Captain,  219,  221 
Weapons  and  arms,  84,  89,  93,  96,  157, 
292 

White  flag,  equivalents  for  the,  86, 
126,  278 

Widows,  the  killing  of,  187 

the  remarriage  of,  234 

Willcocks,  Sir  James,  215 
Windows,  135,  141 
Witch-doctor,  the,  171,  172 
Wolseley,  Lord,  214 
Women  fighting,  147,  156 

in  religious  rites,  186,  197,  205 

property  in,  228,  229,  231,  236 

Work,  40,  48,  74,  118,  198,  199 
Wound,  the  treatment  of  a,  194 
Wraiths,  173 

Yesko  (pi.  Ytskwa)  tribe,  the,  70,  100, 
126,  127 

Yoruba  beliefs,  34,  35 

people,  the,  30,  34,  37,  111,  235, 

213 

soldier,  the,  37,  38 

Zaria,  22,  45,  46,  61,  67,  75,  95,  126 
Zungeru  (really  Dungeru),  39,  40,  42, 
59,  301 


Printed  by  Ballanttne,  Hanson  <5*  Co. 
Edinburgh  &*  London 


GETTY  RESEARCH  INSTITUTE 


